Theory of a Dead Man
by Renegade Almicene Raion
Summary: AU Squinoa. Rinoa Heartilly, new girl to the neighborhood is quickly making friends and turning heads, but her new life seems threatened by a dark secret that she's fallen in the midst of. Can a new acquaintance-a dark, handsome stranger help her? Ch15!
1. House on the Hill

IMPORTANT A/N: If you didn't notice by the name, this is a joint effort between me, Dark Raion, and Renegade Seraph. In a rush to get this up, I gave it a title and a rating, since Renegade left the account up to me. So, make note, that the title, summary, rating, or secondary category is subject to change.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything...  
Chapter 1  
  
With a quick glance into the mirror, she drew a deep breath and exited from the car, marching toward the front door of the house like a soldier would onto a battlefield, a look of utter determination masking her face. Today she would conquer the curse that seemed to follow her, and would emerge victorious in the line of duty. Today, she would sell this house.  
  
Brushing her long blonde bangs out of her eyes, she offered her best smile to the young, raven-haired girl that stood waiting at the front door. She was the first person to come look at the house in three months.  
  
"Ms... Heartilly, is it?" she asked, extending her hand to the smiling youth.  
  
"Yes, you must by Mrs. Trepe, the realtor," she answered. "I'm really interested in the house, you know."  
  
"Wonderful," she replied, pulling some keys from her pocket and unlocking the door for the visitor. "As I'm sure you know, this house has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, dining room, living room, and den. It was repainted only four years ago, after the previous owner... moved out," she tried not to cringe as the little white lie left her mouth, but if she ever expected to sell this burden she'd been stuck with, then it might be necessary to avoid the truth.  
  
"I hear this house has been on the market for quite some time now," Ms. Heartilly said, a skeptical looking gracing her features. "Why is that?"  
  
"Oh, it just doesn't seem to be quite what anyone's looking for. Too small for the big families that usually settle around here, you see."  
  
Heartilly nodded, and followed after her realtor as the tour of the house commenced. It was just like any other house, empty and echoey as it waited for someone to come and fill it. There was little about the quaint little house that could be disagreed with. The tour finally ended back in the living room, with Mrs. Trepe smiling at what she hoped would be a success.  
  
"Shall we discuss price?" she asked. Upon receiving a nod, she took one of her business cards with her name, Quistis Trepe in large letters, from her purse and scribbled down a number before handing it over to her potential customer.  
  
"Hmm.... A bit higher than I was looking to spend."  
  
"Well, I can come down a bit," Quistis panicked, snatching the card back and scribbling another number down. "How does this sound?"  
  
There was a long pause from the woman beside her, before she finally answered, "I'll take it!"  
  
Quistis had to resist the urge to jump for joy. "Wonderful. Come by my office and we'll discuss payment options, and sign some papers, okay? Great! You can move in right away!"  
  
The successful blonde then marched out the door and into the car, picking up her cell phone and dialing her boss as she headed down the road. "I've got great news," she began. "I finally managed to sell that old house on Emerald Hill. Did I tell her? No... I was afraid she would be like all the others, and not want it then. I know, I know... Well, I had a priest come out and exercise the place just last week, so maybe.... maybe she'll stay longer than one night."  
One week after buying the small house up the hill from the rest of the neighborhood, Rinoa Heartilly was ready to move in. She watched the movers pull what little bit of furniture she had out of their truck with a small smile on her face. Her dreams of freedom were finally coming true, partly thanks to her father. Without his help, she would've been stuck in a tiny apartment in the over-crowded city.  
  
"Hey, careful with that!" Rinoa yelled, watching them carry some of her boxes. Suddenly, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder, and turned around to find a smiling young woman standing next to her, with a small child in her arms.  
  
"Hi, there! You must be new. I'm Selphie!" she announced, extending her free hand for a shake. "So, you actually bought this house?"  
  
"Yes, I did," Rinoa answered. "I'm Rinoa Heartilly, by the way."  
  
"Oh, I see. Well, I bet you won't be living there for long," Selphie said. "So, they really didn't tell you about the house?"  
  
"What about it?" Rinoa asked skeptically. "Is there something wrong with it?"  
  
Selphie just smiled, shaking her head, and slowly backed away. "I live just down the road with my husband, by the way. So if you ever need anything...." she jerked her thumb over her shoulder at her house.  
  
Rinoa just nodded with a frown upon her face. Mrs. Trepe had never mentioned anything wrong with the house. Maybe this Selphie girl was just playing a joke on her, or was confused, or something. Deciding not to contemplate it any further, she stepped into her knew home, wanting to get a head start in unpacking.  
  
Later that evening, all the hard work Rinoa put into rearranging her house took it's toll, and she found herself starving for something to eat. No problem, she thought. She'd just go down to that little diner she saw in town that morning. There was only one problem with that. Her car refused to work.  
  
(That's odd) she thought to herself. (It's hardly a year old, and it's never done this before.)  
  
Rinoa's phone hadn't been connected yet, so she decided to take Selphie up on her offer so she could call a mechanic. She threw on her coat and hoped she could remember the house Selphie had pointed out before. She walked slowly but steadily down a few streets, chills beginning to creep up her spine as she realized she'd taken a wrong turn. She found herself on a desolate street corner, with not a soul in sight.... or so she thought.  
  
"Lost?" she heard a low, smooth voice behind her that nearly made her jump out of her skin.  
  
She wheeled around and found herself staring at a black shadow, leaning against the side of a building. She squinted against the darkness, trying desperately to make out the figure that stood before her.  
  
"Well, you gonna answer me?" he asked, tiring of her silence.  
  
"Wh-what was the question again?" she stammered.  
  
A low laugh seemed to erupt from the darkened corner, and the figure slowly stepped out into the light, easing Rinoa's nerves only slightly. "What's the matter?" he asked. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."  
  
This only seemed to make him laugh more. Rinoa took a few steps back, not trusting for a minute the handsome face of this night predator. "J-just leave me alone. I'm new around here, I didn't want any trouble."  
  
"So I heard," he replied. "You bought that old house that's been on the market for four years. I doubt you'll be there for long, though."  
  
"What do you mean? Who are you?" she asked, impatients getting the better of her fear.  
  
"What do I mean? You'll find out soon enough. Everyone in town knows about it, I'm surprised no one's told you. Word tends to travel quickly around here. So, do you want me to help you, or not?"  
  
"Help me?"  
  
"You're lost," he clarified. "Normally, I wouldn't care, but since you're new around here, I'll cut you a break and show you back home, if you want."  
  
"I don't trust you."  
  
"So don't," he replied, turning to walk away. "Good luck getting home."  
  
"Hey, wait!" she exclaimed, running after him and grabbing him by the arm. "I guess you could at least give me some directions or something. But first... I'm starving for something to eat... is there some place around here?"  
  
He stared at her for a moment with his cold blue eyes gleaming in the dim streetlights. There was an unmistakable look of contempt there, mixed with something that he wouldn't allow her to see. She took another step back at this, letting go of his arm in the process. Before she could utter an apology to calm the cool blue fire that seemed to blaze in his eyes, he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face the other way, before walking in that direction himself. When she didn't follow, he cast an annoyed look over his shoulder.  
  
"Are you coming?"  
  
She nodded and ran to catch up with him, trying hard to suppress that small tingling of fear in the back of her mind as she followed the stranger in black. She let out a small sigh of relief when they stepped out onto a brightly lit street, along side a small building.  
  
"In there," he said, pointing.  
  
"You're not coming?" she asked. "I owe you a drink or something at least."  
  
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I don't want anything. I'll wait for you here, then take you back home when you're ready."  
  
She nodded her gratitude then stepped inside, trying to ignore the eyes upon her. She was new here, and everyone was curious to a point that made her highly uncomfortable. Rinoa avoided their gaze as best as possible and sat down, waiting to be served. Nearly half an hour later, she stepped back out into the cold, looking around for her mysterious guide.  
  
"You took long enough," he commented, hiding in the shadows once more.  
  
"Sorry," she replied. "I mean, thanks. I really owe you."  
  
"Yeah, whatever," he retorted. "Follow me."  
  
She couldn't help but feel confused by him. He seemed to loath helping people, yet he was helping her, a person he hardly knew. To distract herself from her own questions, she asked, "So, how do know where my house is?"  
  
"That house is infamous around here," he answered simply. "Everyone knows about it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You'll see soon enough," he answered, his deep, dark voice sending strange tingles up her spine.  
  
"Why doesn't anyone want to tell me? My neighbor said the same thing."  
  
He never answered, just kept walking. She decided that he must've been getting tired of her questions. If only she were not so curious.  
  
The rest of the journey was completed in silence, Rinoa not daring to utter another word. Instead, she followed him wordlessly through the darkened streets that he seemed to know so well, until finally they arrived at her new house.  
  
Finding her voice again, Rinoa gave a shy smile and asked, "Would you like to come in, or something?"  
  
He declined with a simple, "No," and turned away, leaving her in the street as he quickly retreated to the shadows from which he had come.  
  
"Thanks." she murmured to herself, as if her quietly spoken gratitude would somehow reach his ears. Shaking her head she turned away from the road and entered her house, studying things on the inside as soon as the light was on. After all she'd heard about the house that day, she couldn't help but be suspicious.  
  
When finally her paranoid mind was satisfied that nothing was the least bit out of the ordinary, she pulled an oversized T-shirt from it's recent abode in her wardrobe and slipped it on, after shedding her day clothes. Laying in bed, and staring up at the ceiling, she couldn't help but laugh. What was she worried about? There was nothing to be afraid of.  
Darkness, thick and choking, was the only thing that filled the room, save the faint sounds of breathing from the bed against the wall. The curtains shifted slightly, moonlight flittering into the room, casting light on the pale figure that stood in the corner. A blur of dark hair and cloth, paper white, almost colorless skin... all in a brief flash, before the curtain fell closed again, shrouding the room in blackness once more.  
  
She rolled over on her side, a sleepy groan escaping her throat as her eyes fluttered open slightly, her senses triggered by another presence in the room. Her warm chocolate eyes shown in narrow slits as she stared sleepily into the corner that haunted her dreams.  
  
Another shift of the curtains, another brief flash of light, caused her to squint into the darkness, wondering at the dark haired visitor she thought she saw.  
  
"What the hell.?" she grumbled sleepily, the daze of slumber still lingering like an impenetrable fog over her mind.  
  
She felt the presence come closer to her, her breath catching momentarily in her chest. She felt someone, a person that could only be described as a 'he' in her mind, soundlessly breathe two words against her ear, though she seemed only to hear it in her mind.  
  
"Get out."  
  
She felt something chilly, hauntingly cold against her skin, gripping her throat from the inside until she couldn't breathe. Her eyes went wide, and when the drapes fell back again, light spilling into the room for a short moment, she could see before her a pale, yet familiar face, mostly hidden by the shadows. Perhaps the thing that frightened her the most, however, before she fell into the void of darkness that called out to her, was the devilish smile that graced his full, tempting lips as an eerily melodical laughter poured into the air. 


	2. A Day in the Life of Rinoa Heartily

Theory of a Dead Man 

            **Chapter 2**

            Rinoa rolled over into the beam of sunshine that protruded through a crack in her curtains. Lazily she reached her hand over to her bedside table and started clumsily hitting random objects till she found the one she was looking for. Her fingers clasped onto the cold metal of her watch and brought it back to the warm sanctuary of her bed. Holding it into the light, Rinoa squinted as she peered at the time on the clock face and groaned loudly. 

            11:27 she should have been up hours ago.  

            Sighing, Rinoa placed the watch onto her wrist and swung her legs out of her warm covers. After flattening her hair she proceeded to open her curtains. Her eyes flickered to an empty corner in her room and she strained to remember why it made her feel so uneasy. Her heart started to beat faster and she could hear its fast rhythm in her ears. Her mind tried to recall memories of last night that could just as easily be dismissed as dreams. Shaking her head Rinoa grabbed a deodorant and headed for the shower.

            After 20 minuets of battling with the rubbish plumbing systems that seemed to possess a mind of their own, turning the water from hot and then back to cold; she emerged refreshed, dressed in her favourite jeans and black top and ready to start the day with the unpacking of her final belongings.

            Scraping her dark hair back off of her face into a loose bun at the back of her head, Rinoa surveyed herself in the mirror before rushing downstairs to the kitchen. Grabbing a mug from an above cupboard, Rinoa flicked the switch on the kettle and watched as the bubbles became more and more violent until finally shaking their boiling container. The water hit it's final note and the kettle clicked off. Rinoa poured the hot water over her instant coffee. 

            The hot cup warmed her hands as she gazed out of the window. A small smile appeared on her face as she lifted the cup to her lips and drank the dark liquid. She had done it; she was finally on her own two feet and living in her own house. Rinoa switched on the radio to the local station and placed her drink on one of the side counters, quickly she left the room for the garage to collect her final box of processions.  

            She carried them into the kitchen and placed them onto the small table, and started to empty the contents on to the surrounding surfaces. Picture frames capturing people with smiling faces followed other small ornaments and trinkets that held no real value except to the owner. Staring idly at one of the pictures Rinoa reached her hand behind her for her coffee cup, but stopped when she realized her hand was only clasping at air. Reluctantly she tore her eyes away from the photo and looked behind her. The cup was gone.

            Rinoa looked around confused, it was nowhere in the kitchen.            

            "Odd" Rinoa wondered aloud. 

            She kept checking about her until she realized something she hadn't straight away. The window was wide open. Rinoa froze, listening to the sound of the wind outside. Something else was wrong as well. The radio wasn't playing. 

            Her heat skipped a beat while she tried to reassure herself there was a rational explanation. The batteries had died, that was all. 

            Rinoa's head snapped upwards as a loud bump sounded from upstairs. Grabbing a knife from a stand by the sink, Rinoa took a deep breath. Oh yes there was a rational explanation for this all right! Someone was in her house.

            Rinoa checked very room on the upper floor until she was certain everything was ok. She had found nothing out of the ordinary and decided to put the noise down to 'the wind'. Like what had happened with the window. 

            She was about to go downstairs when she suddenly had an urge to open one last door. It was a second bedroom she had been told, although you couldn't tell. But she had kept it locked for the simple reason that she didn't need it, 'why use something you don't need' had been her words. 

            Rinoa fumbled in her pocket for a key but remembered she'd taken them out of her pocket on the day she received them and left them downstairs in a kitchen drawer. A minuet later she returned and fitted the key into the lock and opened the door. Her eyes swept over the room and she sighed, (yep just another empty room).

            She pulled the door to, but then stopped. In the centre of the vacant room lay her coffee cup, the contents spilt all over the floor. Rinoa bent down and touched the liquid. It was still warm.  

            "What the hell?" She whispered, "If this is some sort of sick joke?" 

            A breeze blew in from the side of the room. 

            "So they went out through the window did they?" Rinoa voiced as she peered out into the darkening afternoon sky. "And I suppose this is what everyone's talking about. This house is a bloody hotspot for burglars is it? Well just let them try and mess with me!" Rinoa spoke into her now closed windowpane. " And stealing my coffee! What was that all about?"

            A few hours later after checking that everything was secure, Rinoa left to try and find the diner the stranger had showed her last night. She walked to her car but mentally kicked herself when she remembered she had to call a mechanic.

            "Well Rinoa. That will teach you not to get distracted by good looking blokes." She murmured to herself as she wrapped her coat a little further around herself. (I should have phoned from the diner, only…he was waiting) 

            She found the diner with relative ease and again she received a few stares but it had subdued, it seemed tonight their meals were more interesting than the new neighbour. It was busy and the waitress looked hassled. Rinoa looked around quickly and saw that nearly all of the tables were full. It was dark at one end of the diner and Rinoa walked over with care.

            A puff of smoke escaped a shadowy figure in the last booth. It was the stranger she'd met the night before, sat alone in the dark corner. Seeing no other tables free, Rinoa walked closer. 

            "Can I sit down?" Rinoa asked the silent shadow. 

            "Sure you can hunny!" A waitress remarked as she walked past on her way to the kitchen.

            The man opposite said nothing but raised his eyebrows, after what seemed like eternity he moved his ashtray off her side of the table and closer to himself. Rinoa took this as an invitation, and sat down. Picking up the menu she began to read.        

            "My name's Rinoa by the way." She remarked. An elderly man glanced over at her, and then quickly looked back to his paper.

            "Squall"

            "Sorry?" Rinoa asked over the menu.

            "My name's Squall." The stranger tried again. Rinoa smiled sweetly.

            "You haven't even bought a drink yet. Let me get you one, I still owe you one from last night." Rinoa said as sweetly as she could.

            "I said I didn't want one." Squall replied. Rinoa looked offended, but he offered no apologies and took a long drag on his cigarette. 

            "Um maybe I'll just get something to go then." Rinoa said nervously, glancing over the menu and picking something at random. "Well I've got to use the phone." Rinoa said, wondering why she was explaining herself to this rude man. Squall didn't reply, but instead fixed her with a cold stare. Rinoa felt a shiver run up her back, she didn't like the way he was looking at her. It made her feel embarrassed and she flushed as she returned his gaze. "Well err I," She stammered.

            "I'll meet you outside, take as long as you want." Squall said suddenly. Rinoa startled.

            "Err um, ok" Rinoa replied. Squall stood up and walked past her. 

            Oh god now she was meeting him outside, what was wrong with her?

            Rinoa made her call and collected her burger and fries from the counter, and stepped outside. The cold hit her body like a wave, and something even colder brushed past her. Rinoa spun around and met face to face with Squall. She let out a shocked gasp but then corrected herself.

            "Sorry to scare you" He remarked, "I just wanted to walk you home again." 

            "Why?" Rinoa asked before realising she had. Squall looked straight into her eyes.

            "It's not safe out." He replied taking a few steps around her. Rinoa coughed nervously. 

            "Oh, um ok" She replied, and let herself be lead once again. 

The street lamps cast an eerie glow on the surroundings and for the first time this evening she was actually glad of his company. But he remained silent despite her attempts at conversation.  

Squall left her at her doorstep once more, and Rinoa wondered at his motives for doing so. He had said barely anything to her the whole time he was there, and yet he still wished to walk her home. Rinoa was truly baffled by him. Switching on her TV, Rinoa began to eat her meal out of the flimsy container. Just as she was beginning to relax, a whirring sound was heard and the power cut out.

"Aww what!" Rinoa moaned. "Yeah sure, I mean what else? Rinoa's had a horrid day, I know lets make it worse by cutting the power." Rinoa said sarcastically to herself. Abandoning the rest of her fries, she stumbled upstairs in the dark and climbed into her bed fully clothed. Today had been exhausting and all she wanted was some sleep.         


	3. No Way Home

Dark Raion's A/N: Well, here's the next chapter, written by me, edited by Renegade. To answer a reviewer's question real quick, I really don't know when I'll have the next chapter of "Executioner" out. I've got part of the chapter written, but I'll probably trash it and write a million others before I decide to post something. Sorry, I'm going through one of those 'I suck majorly' phases. Well, on with the chapter.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Sleep, when it finally came, was much welcomed to the exhausted body of Rinoa Heartily. It had been a long day, if only in her mind. The night, however, would prove to be no refuge from the trials of life.  
  
Deep within the darkness that had settled over her mind like a smothering blanket of blackened sickness, a lone nightmare began to spin away beneath the surface. It started with the tightness around her body, most likely from wearing her day clothes to bed. She suddenly felt tangled with the trappings of the cloth. She tossed and turned furiously, almost as if another force had possessed her body, and coaxed her mind into insanity. A desperate cry escaped from her throat and chills enveloped her spine, the flashing of metal and the sound of tearing skin capturing her mind in a desolate void. She thrashed wildly, as if in attempt to push her imaginary attacker away, but to no avail. The scorching sensation of fatal pain imprinted itself in her mind as a sensation she would never be able to forget. Her hands flew to the source of the pain, the would-be wound in her body, and tears streamed without hesitation through tightly closed eyes.  
  
As soon as it had come, the dream seemed to disappear, and her blood- shot eyes slowly pried themselves open. She sat up slowly, her shallow breath causing her chest to heave rapidly as she stumbled out of bed.  
  
A glass of water is all I need, she thought. Just something to calm my nerves a little.  
  
As she attempted to balance on her feet, she felt as if the whole room where titling wildly, and she was unsure that she could even trust her own steps. She peered through blurry eyes, trying to make out the room around her through the shadows, and realized with a start that it wasn't her room. The windows and doors were the same, but the furniture, and the set up of the room was completely different. Where pictures of her family once hung, there were now only blank walls, and where her expensive, finely crafted furniture once stood, there was now only cheap, more economic furniture. Struggling through the rapidly shifting room, she finally made it to the bathroom, where she was relieved to find a small glass sitting by the sink. She filled it with water from the tap and gulped it down quickly. When she finally took a moment to catch her breath, she glanced into the mirror, and was taken aback at what she saw. The reflection in the mirror was not her own. She didn't take the time to scrutinize this foreign face in the reflective glass, but instead let out a frustrated sob, and threw her half-empty glass of water at the image before her.  
  
She leaned wearily against the sink, choking on her own tears and gripping the cold porcelain with trembling fingers. For a long moment, she simply couldn't move. Whether it was fear, weakness, or a paralyzing combination of both, she was uncertain. She could only stand there, barely supporting herself as she tried desperately to swallow the feeling of sickness that crept up her throat.  
  
Finally, she took a deep breath and slowly moved out the door, her eyes focused carefully on the carpet beneath her feet. But even the carpet didn't look quite the same. In a desperate attempt to regain anything normal, her gaze fluttered over the entire room, only to be met with another wave of nausea. Starting at the ceiling, and rolling down to the floor like crimson tears of death, were thin streams of blood. It seemed to ooze out from the crack between the wall and the ceiling, filling the room with a disgusting scent, something coppery, and sickly sweet. She let out another cry and made a dash for her bed, just barely making it before she collapsed in a heap of cold sweat and tremulous tears.  
  
As she covered her head with the blanket and curled into the small, warm ball of safety that brought back a child-like security, she heard that same dark, foreboding voice from the night before whisper to her again. "This is your last warning. Leave."  
  
===============================================================  
  
The incessant ringing of the doorbell irritated her senses into bringing her consciousness to the world of the living. She stumbled from her bed once more, this time protected by the sacred sunlight, and went to answer the door, hair tangled around her face and clothes wrinkled.  
  
She opened the door slowly, and was met with a large, toothy grin on the other side. It was a tall, blonde haired man in a dark blue uniform with the name "Almasy" stitched on his chest.  
  
"Can I help you?" she asked, suppressing a yawn.  
  
"I'm the mechanic you called last night," he answered, still smiling. "I came to tow your car."  
  
"How long do you think it will take to fix it?" she asked wearily. She had mixed feelings about having to walk around town for a couple more days, what with Squall seeming to show up everywhere she went.  
  
"I don't know," he replied with a shrug. "We've been backed up lately, could be weeks."  
  
"Damn," she cursed under her breath. "Great, how am I supposed to get around now?"  
  
He leaned against the doorway, getting uncomfortably close to her. He smelled of sweat and oil, making her nose scrunch up involuntarily. His smile grew wider, and he said, "You know I usually don't make personal offers like this, but since I hear you're new around here, I'll cut you a break." Rinoa backed up a couple of steps at the familiarity of his words, but he didn't seem to notice. "I have a bit of open time on my schedule, if you need a ride, I can take you where you want to go."  
  
Before Rinoa could find the words to 'politely' decline, the roof that extended over her porch suddenly caved in, nearly dropping a two by four on the mechanic's head.  
  
"Holy shit!" he exclaimed. "I knew this place was cursed!" Backing away from the door, he said hastily, "I'll tow your car and try to have it fixed as soon as possible!"  
  
With that he ran for his truck, eager to get away from the house that almost killed him. Rinoa couldn't help but smile at this strange twist of events. So maybe there was something odd about this house, but she was beginning to think she could learn to live with it.  
  
Closing the door and locking it, she decided she would make herself some breakfast, though today, she would avoid the coffee. Looking into the refrigerator, however she found there was absolutely nothing there. It was time to go grocery shopping.  
  
Rinoa had no clue as to the location of the local supermarket. More over, her only form of transportation was her own two feet. With a deep breath, she opened the door and started on her journey. The streets and sidewalks were full of people, most of which to busy to bother with the new girl. She was rounding a corner when she heard the familiar voice call out to her, making her stop dead in her tracks.  
  
"Going for a walk?"  
  
She turned around slowly, her nervous gaze meeting with his frosty blue one. She fought off the strange wave of anxiety she felt when he looked at her, and did her best to look displeased at seeing him. "Are you following me?" she asked.  
  
"I could ask you the same question. You seem to show up wherever I am," he replied.  
  
She crossed her arms over her chest and studied him for a moment. He was dressed in his usual black clothing, sitting hunched over on a stack of crates with a cigarette rested carefully between two fingers. She had temporarily lost herself in her close study of him, when she realized his eyes were steadily upon her, as if expecting something. She felt her cheeks start to burn with the discomfort of embarrassment, and looked away from him, resisting the urge to squirm beneath his unwavering gaze.  
  
"So, are you just going to stand there all day?" he asked finally.  
  
She snapped to attention at his words, and shook her head, causing her raven locks to shimmer beneath the mid-day sun. "No, I'll be leaving now." With these words she turned and started to walk away, but stopped once more as she realized she had no clue where she was going.  
  
"You should really consider buying a map of town," he said as he stood and tossed the useless remains of his cigarette to the pavement before stomping the small flame out.  
  
"Who asked you?" she replied haughtily, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood on the street corner watching the steady flow of traffic.  
  
"I suppose no one did," he answered seriously, stepping up next to her. "Where are you headed?"  
  
She considered making some smart remark for a moment, but decided to just shut up and take his help if he was offering it. It wasn't as if any of the other townspeople were tripping over themselves to assist her. "I need to go to the supermarket," she answered. "The closest one."  
  
"The closest one? That would be five miles from here," he answered. "Give or take a few miles."  
  
"Five miles?! I'm too tired to walk that far," she groaned. "I'm beginning to think I moved into a really sucky neighborhood."  
  
"It's the house."  
  
"Yeah, the house isn't much better. The roof of my porch caved in this morning. It almost killed someone! And I've been having these awful nightmares." she trailed off, suddenly wondering why she was spilling all her problems out to this man she'd only met twice before.  
  
"I warned you about it," was all he said before he walked into the road, with total disregard for the traffic, as if he were certain the cars would come to a halt for him. She followed quickly behind him, a practice that was becoming habit to her, and let out a sigh of relief once they had gotten to the other side.  
  
"You should really wait for the red light, you know," she pointed out as they continued down the path.  
  
"They would've stopped eventually," he replied.  
  
"Yeah, after they had already run you over."  
  
He stopped and turned to look at her, his gaze serious and steady upon her inquiring face. "And you? Are you afraid of death?"  
  
Rinoa looked away, still unable to hold that intense glare of his. "I. I don't know. I never really thought about it that much. I tried not to, after my mother." she couldn't bare to speak anymore.  
  
For a split second, she would've sworn that his gaze softened, and the scowl that seemed frozen upon his face lessened just slightly. "Someone close to me died, too," he offered, in a low, barely audible voice.  
  
"Is that why-" she began but abruptly chose not to finish.  
  
"Is that why, what?" he demanded, all trace of sympathy gone from his voice.  
  
"Is that why you are. the way you are?" she asked softly.  
  
"And what way would that be?" his voice dropped dangerously low, and he stepped toward her angrily, backing her into a nearby wall.  
  
She cowered helplessly against the cold brick, fear swelling up within her. She'd never been one of those damsels in distress that couldn't defend themselves, but there was something about his piercing eyes and dark aura that shook her to the core. Still, she swallowed down all her fears and decided to speak her mind. "Is that why you're so cold? So mean, and silent?" she managed to get out.  
  
His scowl deepened, and for a long moment he didn't speak, unnerving her even more. Then he leaned closer to her, so close that she could feel his warm breath against her face. "You wouldn't know the half of it," he hissed.  
  
She felt him backing away, and opened her eyes to find him walking away. He intended to leave her where she was, lost and with no way home? As much as she hated to, she ran after him. "Hey! You can't just leave me here, I don't know how to get home!"  
  
"Do I look like I'm concerned?" he questioned over his shoulder.  
  
"Squall," she pleaded, inadvertently placing a hand on his arm in an attempt to stop him.  
  
He looked over his shoulder at her, his heavenly eyes casting a look of annoyance, and possibly even hate through narrowed slits. "Don't touch me," he growled, before jerking his arm loose and walking away from her again.  
  
"Great," Rinoa mumbled. "Now what?"  
  
Just as she was considering hitchhiking, a car sped up to the walkway in front of her, and a smiling face poked out of the window. "Hey, Rinoa! Need a lift?"  
  
Rinoa smiled slightly. "Hey, Selphie," she greeted as she strolled around to the other side of the car and opened the door. She slid into the passenger seat, glancing briefly at the backseat where Selphie's baby sat in a car seat. "Thanks, Selphie, I got a little lost."  
  
"No problem," she replied cheerfully. "Where to?"  
  
Rinoa considered dropping by the grocery store, but after her conversation with Squall, she just felt like crawling into bed and passing out. The growling of her stomach, however, argued with her. "Just take me by the diner so I can pick up something to eat, then take me home. It's been a hell of a day."  
  
==============================================================  
  
Well, there's chapter 3, hope you enjoyed! 


	4. From above the answers will come

A/N: Sorry for the wait guys, it was my fault, but thankyou for all the reviews you've given us! ~Renegade Seraph

            **Chapter 4**

Rinoa watched the houses and trees flash past her, as she stared out the window of Selphie's car. After what seemed like no time at all, Rinoa arrived back outside her home. The windows of the house stared back at her unblinking, as she looked up into their shadowy depths. Rinoa shivered as a memory of her strange dream came flooding back to her. She could almost see the walls tinged with red the longer she looked. 

            "You going to be alright?" Selphie asked, breaking Rinoa's thoughts.

            "Yeah. Yeah I guess so. You know you're welcome to come in if you like. I could really do with some company." Rinoa said undoing her seat belt.  

            Selphie considered this. Rinoa looked unwell and being concerned for her new friend's welfare she accepted the offer, much to Rinoa's relief. This must have shown on Rinoa's face because Selphie smiled.

            "I haven't anything planned, so sure why not." Selphie said cutting the engine. 

            "Great!" Rinoa replied, happy that she wouldn't have to face her house alone for a while. 

Rinoa opened her side of the car and walked up to her front door. After turning the key in the lock, she waited for Selphie to join her with her baby. Selphie looked warily up at the porch. 

"What happened here?" She asked. Rinoa looked above her, and then blushed.

"It um, kind of fell down" Rinoa replied nervously, hoping Selphie wouldn't think that she didn't take care of her house. Selphie watched it for a while seemingly interested, until following Rinoa inside.   

"Can I get you a drink?" Rinoa asked from the kitchen, leaving Selphie study the very tasteful arrangements of Rinoa's furniture. 

"Yeah, um I don't want to be rude…but what do you have? You see I'm not really a fan of tea or coffee." Selphie said, absentmindedly picking up random objects and examining them. 

"Well not a lot really, I haven't got anything in. Having said that I've got some orange juice, if you would like some of that?" Rinoa asked. 

"Yeah, that'll be nice." Selphie shouted into the direction Rinoa's voice was coming from. 

Rinoa carried the drinks in from the kitchen and found Selphie playing with the TV controller on the floor. Her baby was happily chewing the top of some sort of red car toy in the armchair next to her. Selphie looked up when Rinoa entered.

"Rinoa your TV channels are messed up! I can only get this one, the others are completely gone."  Selphie informed her. 

"What?" Rinoa asked. This was all she needed, more work. She already had to fix the porch, after it, well unexplainably caved in. 

"See!" Selphie said flicking through the channels to prove she was right. Her excitable mood made Rinoa smile. 

"Maybe I didn't tune it right." Rinoa said shrugging it away. Selphie appeared to accept this explanation and stopped hitting buttons on the remote.     

"Well I would offer to help. But I'm no whiz with electrical stuff." Selphie said, reaching into her bag for her phone. She checked for messages, and then snapped it shut and put it back into her bag. Rinoa smiled. 

"Well at least it's something I can add onto my list of bad things that have happened in this house so far." Rinoa said smiling. This sparked up Selphie's interest. 

"What do you mean?" She asked. Rinoa shrugged. 

"Well, for one thing I keep having these weird dreams." Rinoa replied. Selphie raised her eyebrows.

"Really?" Selphie asked.

"Yeah every night, and there is always a presence. It's someone I know, because I recognize his face in my dream. But I can never remember who it is when I'm awake." Rinoa said. Selphie nodded in reply. "You must think I'm really strange now." Rinoa concluded. 

"Oh no, once I had a dream about jam." Rinoa laughed. "Don't worry Rin, dreams pass." Selphie said smiling. "So, how you liking the neighbourhood?" She asked after a pause.

"So far it seems alright. At least it's a great improvement on where I last was. I just wish my car would start." Rinoa replied. 

"Your car broke down?" Selphie asked. Rinoa took a sip of her drink.

"Yeah, I sent it off today."

"So, how you getting about? You're not walking are you?" Selphie asked concerned. 

"Well I have to. I tried to get to the supermarket today, but found out it was too far." Rinoa answered.    

            "You know I'd love to give you a lift really, only my husband will want the car tomorrow." 

            "Oh! No I wasn't trying to…" Rinoa defended feeling her cheeks turn red. 

            "Hey! I could pick up a few bits and drop them off tomorrow morning if you like." Selphie offered finishing the last of her drink. 

            "Could you!" Rinoa exclaimed. "That would be such a help." 

            "Sure!" Selphie said smiling. Rinoa pulled out some money from her pocket and handed it to Selphie.

            "Well, I better be going, this one will need feeding soon." Selphie said looking at her baby. Rinoa smiled and walked Selphie to the door. "I'll drop the stuff off in the morning. See you later!" She shouted over her shoulder on the way to her car. Rinoa watched her drive away before shutting the door. Maybe tonight she would eat the remains of her chocolate bar and that wonderful banana that was beginning to turn dark in some places. Her stomach growled, and she began to wish for tomorrow already.   

            Rinoa stirred the last of her cereal in the bowl and scooped it up into a final mouthful. It was good to have food in the cupboards again, even if it was only cereal.

            Last night had been as eventful as the previous ones, at least in Rinoa's dreams it had. The blood that ran down the walls had been joined by another gruesome mark. Now the dream was becoming longer in length and more things were being seen. Rinoa could still see the vividly of the blood flowing down the walls, and the way it started to form shapes until the words were visible on the darkened background. Red and gleaming, they had burred into Rinoa's eyes until she had no trouble in remembering them.    

            "From above the answers will come." Rinoa whispered to herself as she sat alone in the sun-flooded kitchen. Sighing she decided to push it to one side of her mind. 

            Selphie had dropped over a few basic things, milk, bread, eggs, cheese and a few frozen ready meals. Really boring stuff, but at least you could eat it. Selphie had been right, most of her TV channels had gone but there were 3 now working which was an improvement. Rinoa didn't really mind, she didn't watch TV all that much. She was just annoyed at having to spend time fixing it, but that could wait.  

            After washing away her breakfast things, a knock at the door signaled that someone was outside. Rinoa dried her hands on a kitchen towel and moved to open the door. She found behind it a blonde man with a clipboard and a tow truck behind him. Rinoa spotted her car on the back and watched as it was reversed into her driveway. 

            "Miss Heartilly?" He asked smiling. Rinoa wondered why her car was being returned so quickly. 

            "Yes?" 

            "My name is Zell, there has been a few complications with your car." He said flipping through some notes on his clipboard in an important manner. "We have had to replace the whole engine." 

            "What?" Rinoa almost shouted. Replacing an engine was expensive. Zell looked worried.

            "We had a reason for doing this of course, it um…it appeared that your last engine had, well it had melted." Zell informed her. Rinoa stood in silence, unable to find something to say. Even with her limited knowledge of cars, she knew that engines didn't just melt. 

            "What do you mean, melted?" Rinoa asked confused. This was either something really weird, or some sort of elaborate con.    

            "Maybe you should have a look." Zell said leading the way to his van. Rinoa followed him. The tow truck had already left and Rinoa could just see it driving away in the distance. "Here" he said opening the back van doors. "I've never seen anything like this before, it was a shock when we found it and wow!" 

            Rinoa examined the metal she saw before her. He was right, there was no other way to describe it except melted.  The wires had completely dissolved onto the metal casing, and the aluminum tubing had moulded into odd shapes. 

            "Your registration number is engraved on the casing here, so that you know that this indeed your part." Zell said, pointing to a place on the metal. Rinoa checked it. It was hers all right. 

            "Yeah that's genuine." Said a third voice. Rinoa turned around to see who had joined them. 

            "Squall, I don't need your opinion ok." Rinoa said turning her back on him. Zell looked from Squall to Rinoa and decided to leave quickly.

            "Well I just need you to sign this, then I'll be on my way." He said handing Rinoa a sheet on his clipboard. Rinoa signed it quickly and handed it back. "You'll have a 5 day guarantee with us, if your want to purchase more that will be…"

            "No, that's fine" Rinoa said hurriedly. 

            "Ok, well good day then miss, sir." He said finally, remembering his salesman training. Rinoa watched him as he shut his van doors and got ready to drive away.         

            "You still here?" Rinoa asked frostily. She watched Squall light up a cigarette before he spoke.

            "Guess so." He replied. Rinoa rolled her eyes and headed for the house. Squall followed in pursuit.

            "Why won't you leave me alone?" Rinoa asked, turning about to face him once more. 

            "Because you wont stop getting in my way." Squall replied. Rinoa remained silent, her tongue caught. "Who was that man anyway?" Squall asked suddenly, his tone sounding suspicious.  

            "Does it really matter?" Rinoa asked sarcastically. Squall shrugged. 

            "Suppose not." 

            "Look, are we going to stand here arguing all day or do you want to come in?" Rinoa asked, almost certain that he would decline. Maybe he would leave quicker if she invited him in. Squall looked deep in thought.

            "Ok" He said finally, walking past her into her house. Rinoa found herself being pushed out of the way and felt a surging amount of anger. 

            "Right" She mumbled to herself, "What have I let myself in for?" 


	5. Still Searching for the Answer

A/N: Sorry about the major delay, people. I was having trouble coming up with ideas. But, here it is, next chapter. Enjoy! ~Dark Raion  
  
Chapter 5  
  
A long, awkward silence stretched on, making Squall seem comfortable, and Rinoa anxious. She didn't want to, but she couldn't help but observe him. He seemed so at home in the noiseless void that had settled over them. She couldn't help but feel unnerved by it.  
  
(I guess that's just one of our many differences,) she thought. (I'm me, and he's. a jackass.)  
  
"So, did you ever make it to the grocery store?" Squall asked finally.  
  
Rinoa's eyes widened in shock, and she jumped to her feet. "You bastard! I can't believe you have the nerve to ask me that when you just left me in the middle of nowhere! If Selphie hadn't come along, who knows what would've happened to me?"  
  
"Nothing would have happened to you," he replied calmly. "And we weren't in the middle of nowhere. We were in the middle of town."  
  
Her fists clenched and she had to take a deep breath to keep from marching over to him and slapping him across the face. "Remind me again why I let you in here?"  
  
He shrugged, barely containing his amusement. "You're the one that invited me in here."  
  
She smacked her forehead in exasperation. "Let me just ask you one thing. Why are you stalking me?"  
  
"Me? Stalking you?" he repeated. "Don't flatter yourself."  
  
Rinoa gave a loud sigh and turned so that her back was facing him. "You are such an ass, do you know that? Yesterday you stormed off all in a huff. I mean, I thought you were going to rip my head off, and now you're just sitting there calmly like nothing happened. What were you doing here in the first place?"  
  
He stood up, coming up close behind her, but she refused to look at him. "I guess it would be the right thing to do to apologize?" he asked, his warm breath tickling the back of her neck and sending pleasant tingles through her body.  
  
"I guess," she replied in a tiny voice.  
  
He was silent for a long moment, then said, "Well, don't expect one from me."  
  
She gasped in shock then turned around to face him, suddenly finding her face only inches away from his. Her anger began to slip away beneath the surge of primitive human attraction, and she tried desperately to cling to it. She felt her lips tremble as she attempted to form some witty comeback, but nothing came.  
  
"What's the matter?" he asked, his voice quieted to a whisper. "Cat got your tongue?"  
  
She swallowed hard, dropping her gaze to the floor. How could she allow him to keep playing with her like this? "No, I'm just. I'm just appalled at your behavior," she said, the words coming to her mind just as she spoke. "I want to know why you keep showing up everywhere I go."  
  
"You really think I'm stalking you?" he asked. When she nodded her head he laughed in way that was not at all pleasant. "Sorry to disappoint you. I suppose it's just coincidence."  
  
"I'm sure it is," she answered in a voice of disbelief. "Look, it's almost lunch. Do you want something?" she asked, attempting to bypass him and go to her kitchen.  
  
"Are you trying to get away from me?" he asked, backing her into the wall and dipping his head so that his breath mingled with hers.  
  
"N-no," she stammered. "I was just-"  
  
"Just." he repeated coming so close to her that for a long moment she closed her eyes in anticipation of a kiss. But nothing came. "I'll see you around," he spoke again, his voice low, and somehow angered. "I'll show myself out."  
  
She leaned against the wall, keeping her eyes closed until she heard the front door slam shut. She sank to the floor, unsure of how to feel, or what to think. Was she disappointed that he didn't kiss her, or just glad that he was gone?  
  
She stood up, shaking her head and her newly forming tears away, and disappeared into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Night had set in, inky blackness covering the sky and dotting itself with an endless ocean of stars. Rinoa admired it from her kitchen window, a small smile playing on her lips until her moment was interrupted by a high-pitched beep. Sighing, she pulled open the microwave door and grabbed her frozen TV dinner, the contents smoking and the plastic wrap half-melted to the black plastic tray the food came in.  
  
"Yummy," she mumbled as she stared down at the bubbling brown contents. She carried it into the living room and sat down on the couch, taking a butter knife and sawing at the piece of rubber that passed as Salisbury steak and gravy.  
  
She grabbed the remote from the coffee table as she took a bite of the oozing monstrosity in her lap. It had all the flavor of peppered cardboard, and the texture of sandpaper. She flipped on the TV with her remote and stared at the colorful blurs on the screen through the disgusted grimace on her face.  
  
"News channel," she grumbled, and punched at the channel button on her remote. The screen jumped and flicked, black and white 'snow' drifting across the screen, but no other channel would come up. She tried to get back to the news channel, feeling unwelcome chills at the eerie static on the monitor, but now it wouldn't budge. She stared into the rapidly moving dots, her eyes drawn to something she could not yet identify. As she stared closer at the seemingly senseless gray fuzz, she noticed words slowly forming across the middle.  
  
"From above, the answers will come," she read, her heart slamming into her throat as the realization that she recognized these words set in. At that moment the TV clicked off, though she had not touched the power button on the remote, and refused to come back on.  
  
"First my car, now my TV?" she mumbled, tossing the remote onto the table with a tired sigh. She looked down to her now luke-warm meal and decided that it suddenly looked even more unappetizing than before. She walked into the kitchen and dumped the remains unceremoniously into the trash and decided a nice warm shower was what she needed to take her mind off things.  
  
She made her way to her bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes as she went. She'd never been much of a tidy person, but at the moment keeping a clean house was at the very back of her mind.  
  
Now clad in only her undergarments, she grabbed some fresh clothes from her dresser, but paused as a tingling sensation traveling up her spine made her feel as if she were being watched. She searched the partially darkened room, looking for something, anything unusual. Finding nothing, she slowly crept to the window, trying not to think about what might be out there, staring in. Parting the blinds she stared out into the void of shadows outside, finding nothing to look at but the empty street ahead. She backed away from the window and headed into the bathroom, telling herself that it was all in her mind.  
  
Once she'd stepped into the shower, she felt immensely better. The warm water had a soothing affect, and that feeling that she was being watched had mostly vanished. Rinoa closed her eyes and bowed her head beneath the barrage of steaming water, hoping that it would wash away her worries. She cracked her eyes open just slightly, then opened them wider as she caught the flash of bright red pouring from the showerhead. She backed up with a terrified gasp, and squeezed her eyes shut again as she stumbled out of the shower. When she looked back again, there was nothing there but crystal clear water. No blood.  
  
She reached in and twisted the knobs until the water stopped flowing, then wrapped herself in a large towel and ventured into her room, dripping wet and miserable. Everything was normal; it had just been part of her imagination.  
  
(But it looked so real. Like the images in my nightmares, but I wasn't asleep.)  
  
She dropped her towel, suddenly uncaring if there was anyone watching, and huddled beneath the covers, waiting in agonizing anticipation for the sleep she knew would be tainted with death.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
The night had passed with the same horrors as always. She could still see the words on the wall, but she still didn't know what it meant. Instead she woke up, poured her a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal, then set about the task of clearing away the wreckage of her porch.  
  
She piled the wooden beams off to the side, examining their splintered ends as she did. It looked as if they had cracked beneath some kind of invisible pressure. She dragged the small, shingled roof into her garage, since it was mostly undamaged, and swept the splinters and dust into the nearby bushes.  
  
Tossing aside her broom, she collapsed on the steps leading up to her front door. It was such a nice, warm day, the kind that eased you into a comfortable drowsiness. She briefly thought about lying out and working on a tan, but was afraid that she would fall asleep if she did so. Sleeping used to be among her favorite pass-times, but now it was something she had come to dread.  
  
"So, I see you got your car fixed pretty quickly. I guess you won't need me to drive you around after all," she heard a cheerful, arrogant voice say as a shadow suddenly blocked out the sun.  
  
She cracked open her eyes, half-wondering if it was Squall, even though she already knew his voice by heart, and it was nothing like this. Instead, she saw the first mechanic she had met with. What was his name? Looking up at him now he was no longer dressed in his mechanic's uniform, and didn't have dirt and gasoline smudged all over his face. His blonde hair was slicked back, making it neater than it had been before. He didn't look half bad when he cleaned up.  
  
(He doesn't hold a candle to Squall, though,) She thought, instantly kicking herself as soon as the words were out of her mind.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked, barely containing the annoyance in her voice. One would think that one life-threatening experience in a place would be enough.  
  
"I just wanted to come by and see if everything was alright," he replied. "This house is dangerous, you know."  
  
"So I noticed," she replied, disappointed that he didn't seem to catch the sarcasm.  
  
"Well, as dangerous as this place is, I think you could use a body guard, don't you?" he asked, smiling flirtatiously at her and seating himself beside her on the steps.  
  
(Where's the unstable porch roof when you need it?) She wondered.  
  
"I think I'll do fine on my own, thanks."  
  
"Alright, alright, I understand. You wanna take things slow right? I can do that."  
  
Rinoa put her face in her hands. "Look, Mr.. uh, look. You're just not my type, okay? And, I just moved here, I'd like to get settled more before I start dating anyone. You've only met me once, and you showing up here like this is a little creepy, so if you don't mind, I've got a lot of things to do right now."  
  
He stood up, standing in front of her and smiling as his shadow fell over her again. "It's Seifer. Just give me a chance. I know it's a little creepy, but I was just so enchanted by your beauty, I had to come back."  
  
Rinoa rolled her eyes. "Oh, please."  
  
As Seifer opened his mouth to speak again he felt immense pressure at the back of his neck. Rinoa watched curiously as black, leather-bound fingers pressed painfully into specific nerve points on Seifer's neck.  
  
"The lady asked you to go," a low voice hissed from behind him.  
  
Seifer looked around nervously while he struggled against his attacker. Finally, he was let go, and Seifer turned and began to run, rubbing his neck as he went and mumbling various obscenities.  
  
"Is that how you always greet people?" Rinoa asked of the dark haired man that now stood before her.  
  
(Yep, definitely much better than Seifer. Oh, damnit, I shouldn't be thinking about him that way.)  
  
"He was bothering you, wasn't he?" Squall asked.  
  
"Yeah, but still. Since when did you become Mr. Knight in Shining Armor?"  
  
"I just happened to be in the neighborhood. And I recognized that guy. He's a creep."  
  
"Ah, so my intuition was correct. So tell me, why did you leave so fast yesterday?"  
  
"I'd rather not talk about it," he answered, making himself comfortable on the step next to her. "I just. remembered I had somewhere I had to be. It was nothing really. It wasn't."  
  
"It wasn't me?" she finished for him. "I hate to break this to you, but you're a terrible liar. I don't buy it for a second."  
  
"Really, it wasn't. I just." he struggled desperately for something to say that wouldn't make him look like an ass-hole.  
  
"Why are you here?" she interrupted.  
  
He gazed at her for a moment, the usual expression of anger and contempt strangely absent from those icy spheres. "You think I'm stalking you again?"  
  
She shrugged. "Maybe."  
  
"And what if I am? Are you going to call the cops on me? Have a restraining order put out against me?"  
  
"I. I don't know."  
  
"I'm not stalking you. Stalking you would be if I was hiding behind bushes watching you, or following you from afar. But I haven't stayed at a distance, have I?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then you tell me. what am I doing here?"  
  
She looked at him for a long moment, at a total loss for words. He was such a strange man, but she couldn't help but feel dangerously excited when it came to thoughts of him. She wanted to say it was just physical, but knew that it somehow ran deeper than that. Why was he always there? And more importantly, did she want him to be there?  
  
"You're here," she began slowly, "to see me?"  
  
"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm just too scared to admit it. Either way, what really matters is what you think about it." He stood up again, looking down on her for a moment before offering her his hand. She took it, and he pulled her up, bringing her close to him, but keeping her at a safe distance this time. "Maybe next time you'll have an answer for me," he said, before backing slowly away from her and walking away.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 


	6. Here without the dreams

            **Chapter 6**

**Here without the dreams**

Rinoa ran the steaming clear water into her bathtub and poured in some pink bath-bubbles, which she had salvaged from a forgotten, unpacked box. The perfume from the thick pink liquid quickly filled the air, and it wasn't long before the bathroom was completely steamed up with the hot water droplets. Rinoa smiled at the cozy atmosphere and lit a few of her candles, which surrounded her bath in strategic places. The soft light that shone all around her, bounced off of Rinoa's skin, giving her an angelic, glowing tint as she lay in the bubbles and hot bath water. 

        Rinoa's mind strayed to Squall in the romantic setting that she had created for herself. She smiled secretly and blushed at her traitorous thoughts. Her mind drifted on its secret feelings, and for once she allowed herself to indulge in them. There was nothing to disturb her here, nobody to tell her that she wasn't allowed to think or oppose what she secretly whished. Inside the dimly lit room she was safe from her guilt at admitting to her fantasies.  

        Rinoa giggled and imagined him walking through the bathroom door with a bottle of champagne and confessing his love in many poetic ways. This was preceded by other fanciful notions and silly thoughts.   

        Rinoa pulled herself out of the bath using the sides and wrapped a white towel around her back, folding it at the front to make it stay. The bath water drained away in a swirl, and the bubbles died quickly without their watery host. 

        Rinoa discarded the damp towel onto the floor and pulled her silk nightdress over her head and adjusted the tiny straps on her shoulders. The mirror was clouded with silver steam and Rinoa peered into it, recognizing her hazy outline before wiping it away with a fluffy hand towel. Something dark darted out of the view of the mirror and disappeared behind her. Rinoa caught its departure with the corner of her eye and jumped in shock as it landed with a thud. 

        Rinoa spun around in a panic and looked wildly for an explanation to calm her confused, fast beating pulse. Her jacket had slipped down off of its hook, and Rinoa convinced herself that this is what she had seen. Cautiously she reached down to retrieve it, her heart was still beating fast, but it was slowing rapidly. She had almost regained her composure when something cold passed over her cheek, like a hand touching a lover's face in a smooth personal gesture. Rinoa started, and snatched the jacket before hurrying out. 

        Instead of going to her room, Rinoa continued passed it and ran down the stairs. Her mind was racing with primitive fear at the strange events that were happening, and her usual rational explanations couldn't find sense. A dull ringing began in Rinoa's ears, and her surroundings became audibly blocked out. Rinoa felt as though she was about to pass out, and she asked herself why. Worse things had happened than this encounter before. But this time it was different, this time the thing was in her house without the aid of dreams. 

        She could feel it moving around the house although she couldn't see it. It was searching for her, she could tell. It had lost her in her rush downstairs, but it was coming, it would find her soon. 

        Rinoa's head snapped upwards as a heavy object was knocked over in the room above. It landed with a boom that reached Rinoa's bones with it's shaky vibrations. Rinoa let out a strangled sob and started trembling uncontrollably. The light switched on in the hallway, and Rinoa held her breath as the impenetrable presence swept into the room. 

        It circled once, taking everything in with echoing footsteps. Rinoa squeezed shut her eyes and prayed that it would leave her in peace. But it seemed that the phantom had no intentions of leaving. Something of an almighty force would be needed to banish this demon from her home. 

        The presence stopped still and watched Rinoa with hot eyes that burned into her back. Slowly it moved forward until Rinoa could feel it's cold breath on the back of her neck.         

        Rinoa whimpered as the breath on her neck remained. Tears filled up her eyes until her vision was blurred to a point of blindness. The tears fell down her cheeks and she gasped at the air as if her heart was failing. 

        A pressure was felt on Rinoa's middle and it took all the strength she could find to look down. What she saw was enough to cause her mind to shut down in fear. Rinoa was certain that her blood was now ice, as it no longer seemed to be pumping her heart. Her shocked, rigid body felt the room drop in degrees, as her warm breath became visible in front of her eyes.     

        A skeleton hand worked its way over her middle in a seductive movement and tugged at her nightdress. Rinoa felt her heart and lungs come back to her with a sudden thud, and she thrust herself forward and away from the ghostly hand. The spectre glimmered in a silver haze where she had stood seconds ago. It glowed brightly as if in anger before disappearing into the black air. 

        Rinoa heard her heart pumping in her ears, and she welcomed the sound as a sign that she was still part of this world. The presence had moved, but Rinoa could still not feel safe. Her heart took over all the other sounds with its beat until it began to subside. Not sooner had she calmed, when the TV jumped to life behind her. Rinoa screamed and whirled around in panic. 

        An unrecognizable and distorted face leered back at her through the glass screen. 

        "I told you to leave." It said clearly. Rinoa stared at it in shock. 

        "Who are you?" She asked backing away as far as she could. The face smiled in a twisted smirk. 

        "You know who I am." 

        "I...do?" Rinoa stuttered. 

        "I'm the being that has haunted your dreams." It answered still smirking. 

        "Yes, I know you." 

        "This is my house, I walk these floors not you!" It said changing its singsong tune for a darker one. 

        "No, this is my house." Rinoa replied determined. This statement only angered the spectre.

        "GET OUT!" It screamed smashing the screen and sending tiny pieces of glass towards Rinoa. Rinoa screamed, flinging herself down onto the floor in an automatic reaction. But it seemed that the haunting hadn't finished yet, as the light above her grew in brightness until it exploded into tiny sparks. "Look above Rinoa, above."    

        Rinoa squeezed shut her eyes and covered her head with her hands. The silence of the house was eerie and Rinoa felt her pulse beating once again with violence. After a moment Rinoa uncovered her face and looked around the room. Everything looked normal with the exception of the TV and light. Standing up carefully to avoid the scattered glass, Rinoa stumbled towards the doorway. Grabbing a coat and a pair of shoes, she opened the front door and hurried out. 

        Once outside there was time to calm herself down with the chill of the evening air. She couldn't go back into the house just yet; even looking back at it was enough to send shivers up her spine. With the resolve not to return inside, there was only one other option. She'd have to find Selphie. 

        Wandering down the road in her nightdress and her coat probably wasn't a good idea but she was feeling reckless. Rinoa doubted that fate could have something else in store for her tonight, not even fate could be that cruel. Eventually she came to the door that she believed was Selphie's.  After ringing the door bell all Rinoa could do was to wait. 

        "Rinoa!" Selphie exclaimed as she opened the door. "What are you doing here so late? Come in, come in." 

        Rinoa hurried inside, a warm comforting feeling of being safe hit her as soon as she was inside the walls of the house. 

        "I need to ask you something." Rinoa said. Selphie nodded confused. 

        "Ok, would you like a drink?" Selphie offered. Rinoa shook he head. 

        "No, but thank you anyway. Selphie who lived in that house before I did?" Rinoa asked abruptly. Selphie looked a little taken back.

        "Why do you ask?"

        "I just...I just need to know." 

        "Well, it was a young man. I never knew his name, he apparently wasn't a very friendly guy." Selphie said smiling. Rinoa considered this while her brain formed new questions. 

        "So, why did he leave?" Rinoa asked. 

        "Why does anyone leave?"    

        "But there must have been a reason. People don't just leave." Rinoa said reasonably. Selphie sighed.

        "One day he just disappeared." Selphie answered shrugging. Rinoa looked shocked. 

        "But didn't you inform the police?" 

        "Sure we did. But he was such an unstable character, you know disappearing for long periods at a time. I guess it wasn't considered a high priority case. I suppose it just got pushed to the back and never followed through." Selphie explained draining on her memory for anything she could remember.

        "Oh how horrible to be forgotten like that." Rinoa mumbled thinking out loud. Selphie looked at her confused. 

        "Sorry?"

        "To be never missed enough by anyone. Why didn't they look for him?" Rinoa said becoming angry. Selphie shrugged. 

        "I don't know. I was very young when all this happened; I only know what I've told you because of things I've been told myself."  Selphie said. Rinoa forced a smile and stopped the enquiries.    

        "Do you think I could stay here tonight? I'll be gone really early in the morning; you won't even notice I'm here." Rinoa asked hoping for an agreeable reply.  

        "Sure you can stay here." Selphie said smiling. "There's a spare room upstairs, come on." 

        Rinoa smiled gratefully and followed Selphie upstairs. 

        "The bathroom is down there." Selphie said pointing. "And I'm in here. If you're hungry make whatever you like in the kitchen, just don't be hurrying off in the morning; you can stay as long as you like."

        "Thank you Selph, I know this must seem really odd me turning up and everything, but I'm not sure I can explain just now." Rinoa said. Selphie shook her head. 

        "It's ok Rin, you can tell me when you're feeling better." Selphie replied smiling. "Well I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning."  

        Rinoa gazed up at the blank ceiling of the unfamiliar room from her bed. Being in Selphie's house made the earlier occurrences seem so distance, as if she had exaggerated them all to a point of delusion. But whatever had happened, it wasn't going to find her here. But despite the assurances that she was safe, Rinoa couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Squeezing her eyes shut in a hope to banish the feeling, Rinoa held onto the covers tightly and curled herself up. It was in this way that Rinoa finally found sleep, although it brought little comfort. There were none of the strange dreams that usually disturbed her, but nethertheless the sleep was not peaceful. 

She imagined herself in far off places, until one dream took over all the others. She was alone and yet, she wasn't. Turning around at the sound of her whispered name, she saw the shadow of her company, before he appeared. 

"Squall what are you doing here?" Rinoa asked looking at him questionably. 

        "I came to see you." 

        "Why?"

        "I missed you. You left me all alone." Squall replied moving closer. Rinoa looked around her, they were in her house but something wasn't right. Then she realised what was different, the furniture of the room had changed dramatically. 

        "What's going on?" Rinoa questioned worried. 

        "I don't know. You tell me." Squall replied. Rinoa became frightened and started to panic.  

        "Oh god, Squall you're bleeding!" Rinoa screamed looking at Squall's shirt, which was covered in blood. Squall looked down slowly and smiled. 

        "Yeah, so are you." 

        Rinoa sat up abruptly and found herself still in Selphie's house. The sun was shining in through the window and the trees outside were creaking in the light breeze. Rinoa lay back down on the soft pillow and breathed in deeply. After lying down for a few more minutes, Rinoa decided it time to get up and go home. If she was to remain here any longer she would probably just get in the way. After slipping back on her shoes and coat, Rinoa made her way down stairs.  

        "Selphie?" Rinoa called from the hall. 

        "Yeah?" Was the happy reply she received from the direction of the kitchen. "You ok?"

        "Um, I think I'm gonna go home." Rinoa said her voice still sounding dazed. 

        "Well alright. Do you want me to drive you back?" Selphie offered appearing from the kitchen. Rinoa looked at her with glazed eyes and shook her head firmly. 

        "No, no I think I'm gonna be ok." Rinoa answered walking to the door. Selphie looked at her puzzled, but let her go. 

        "Ok, but make sure you hurry back. It looks cold out." 

        Rinoa opened Selphie's front door and stepped out into what Selphie had correctly perceived as a cold morning. What was going on with her, was she crazy? No she couldn't be crazy, not until she got to the bottom of this haunted house mystery. It was definitely haunted, there was no denying it now. Why hadn't anybody warned her before she moved in? It seemed cruel to not tell someone the fact that their house had the added feature of a ghost. But the more she thought on this, the more it seemed silly. Ghosts weren't considered real, anyone who saw one was quickly admitted to the nearest insane asylum for 'a rest'. Nobody confessed to believing in ghosts these days, so why would she be told upon purchasing the house? 

        Rinoa stopped walking and looked at her house that had just appeared in the distance. Ok, so she had cleared the woman who'd sold her the house of guilt, but it still didn't solve the problem. Perhaps she was on her own in this one. 


	7. The Only One

A/N: In this next chapter, many secrets are revealed! ~Dark Raion  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Every person, in every lifetime had their challenges, their demons to slay. There was always something that terrified them more than anything, whether it was spiders, heights, or burglars. At some point, before their passing, there came a moment of truth, in which their greatest fear must be faced. There was no choice, no second option. You had to gather your strength and move forward.  
  
Today seemed to be Rinoa's moment of truth, as she stood outside the door of the house that had plagued her dreams, and even her reality for the past few weeks. She had no choice but to go inside, it was her home, after all. But what awaited her there seemed to freeze her beating heart instantly.  
  
"Interesting choice of street wear."  
  
The voice behind her made her jump, startling her already worn nerves. She turned around to face the owner of the words, though she already knew him from his voice. "What are you doing here, Squall?" she asked in a tired voice.  
  
He shrugged. "I was in the neighborhood. What are you doing out in your night gown?"  
  
She shook her head. "It's a long story, really. Do you want to come in?"  
  
She was secretly hoping he would say yes. Not just because of her attraction to him, but because she somehow felt better about entering the house with him at her side.  
  
He nodded. "Sure."  
  
Taking a deep breath, and trying not to think, she turned the knob and entered the house. In her rush to escape the night before, she hadn't thought to lock the door against intruders.  
  
(There are much worse things inside, than there is on the outside) she thought to herself as she gently closed the door behind Squall and herself.  
  
The scene before her was just as she'd left it. Pieces of television screen were scattered over the floor, glittering in the new morning sun that streamed in through the window. The light bulb above was also shattered, and the inside of the light shade was blackened.  
  
"What did you do to this place?" Squall asked finally, breaking the silence.  
  
"I. had a power surge. Busted out the light bulb, and all." He just looked at her disbelievingly, so she added, "A very powerful power surge, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, okay," he said, shaking his head. "You're the only person that's lived in this house recently that's even bothered trying to make excuses for it."  
  
She frowned. "No one bothered to tell me what was wrong with this place. I had to find out the hard way. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go get dressed."  
  
Rinoa turned her attention to the stairway and stared up into shadowed hallway above. It was there that the previous night's troubles had begun, and she couldn't bear to face it alone just yet. Instead she turned back to Squall and tried to keep her tone steady as she said, "On second thought, why don't you come with me?"  
  
He arched an eyebrow at her, silently inquiring about her intentions. "No, I didn't mean. I, um." Rinoa quickly scrambled for an excuse. "I left the door unlocked last night when I left. Lord only knows what could be up there."  
  
Squall just shook his head again, and followed her upstairs and into her room in silence. Rinoa stood at the door for a moment, her eyes wandering over the familiar room. Everything seemed to be in place, but she knew it would always be foreign territory to her after the events of the night before.  
  
"Have a seat," she murmured, her fear making a temporary place for the deep red flush over her cheeks. The fantasies she had indulged in before were sweeping through her mind again, as she watched him take a seat at the edge of her bed. She forced herself to look away and retrieve some clothes from her dresser. "I'll be out in a moment," she informed him, her voice coming out in a hoarse whisper.  
  
She closed the bathroom door behind her, exhaling sharply as she pulled her nightgown off. The memory of a fleshless hand tugging at the silk garment sent an unwelcome shiver down her spine. Here in the bathroom. this was where it really started. She didn't want to be in there alone, but she wasn't about to ask Squall to come watch her change. She had to admit, though, that the thought was. intriguing.  
  
(Amazing how your hormones can push their way into your mind at the oddest times) Rinoa thought to herself as she pulled on a light blue tank top and slipped into a black mini skirt. (But what am I to do now? I can't stay here alone. I'm so scared. but, this is my house now. I can't leave just because some. ghost or something is here, too.)  
  
Rinoa left the bathroom and quietly closed the door behind her, eyes settling directly on Squall the moment he was visible. His own eyes were pointed upward, and she followed his gaze to a strange, yellowish stain on the ceiling.  
  
"Have you had that checked out?" he asked. "You might have a leak or something in the attic."  
  
Rinoa felt like screaming. If there was one place she sure as hell didn't want to go it was the dark, unexplored realm of the attic. Perhaps that was where the evil being resided.  
  
Realizing that his eyes were now upon her, waiting for an answer to his question, she cleared her throat and said, "I don't suppose you'd want to go take a look at it for me?"  
  
"Me?" He repeated. "Sorry, but I'm no maintenance man."  
  
"You'd be better at it than I would!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Says who? Just climb up there and check the area out. I'm sure there's nothing up there that will bite," he told her calmly, his tone mocking her fear.  
  
"Easy for you to say," she mumbled. "You know, if you're going to hang around here so often, you might as well be useful!"  
  
He stood up, his face expressionless, and headed for the door. "I'll leave, then."  
  
"Wait, no!" she exclaimed, running after him and grabbing him by the arm. "I didn't mean anything I was just joking!"  
  
"I know," he replied. "But I really do have somewhere to be."  
  
Rinoa tried to push the jealousy she felt aside as the possibilities entered her mind. "A date with some gorgeous blonde I bet," she said, attempting to keep her tone light. "Yep, just leave me here to do the dirty work by myself." she trailed off, noticing the amused smirk on his face. "Maybe I'll call that Seifer guy to come help me." The smirk disappeared completely. Could it possibly be that he was jealous too?  
  
"I told you. he's a creep. And no, I'm not going out with a blonde. it's none of your business what I'm doing. Later." With that he left, leaving Rinoa to smile and shake her head.. And to explore the attic on her own.  
  
She took a good look around the room, as if in search of the angry specter that had chased her away the night before. Seeing nothing but empty air, she grabbed a flashlight, and pulled down the ladder at the end of the hall and climbed her way into the attic.  
  
It was exactly as she had expected. It was a realm of thick, impenetrable darkness with a faint odor of mold and decay. Dust swirled in torrents after having lain still for so long, and a strong draft swept through the room, cutting through to Rinoa's bones and making her shiver in fear. Such a place was a perfect habitat for an angry, malicious spirit.  
  
She switched on her flashlight, sweeping the room with a beam of powerful white light. It was empty, all the of last owner's possessions having been removed. Rinoa hadn't much use for the attic herself. The few things she did have fit nicely in the house.  
  
(This must be the first time this room's seen light in years) Rinoa thought to herself, frantically searching every inch of the room for something, anything out of the ordinary.  
  
Finding nothing once more, she sighed, and tried to figure out her location over the house. She stepped over to where she figured her room would be, and noticed a loosely nailed floorboard. She began to pull on the end of it, giving it all her strength and digging her hands into the half-rotted wooden plank before a terrible creaking sounded through the attic, and the board gave way beneath her force. She threw the useless piece of wood aside and pointed her flashlight down into the new space she'd uncovered. Pieces of ripped up insulation were carefully placed inside, as if someone were covering something up. She tossed the fluffy pink material over her back, and dug through the rest, until her hand hit something hard, with a worn, dry texture.  
  
With a curious glint in her eyes, she pushed away the remaining cover, and peered down at the object she had touched. It was long, flat, and wide, coming to a sharp point at one end.  
  
"A. a rib bone?" Rinoa stammered to herself, her hands beginning to tremble. By the size of it, it was obvious that it was human.  
  
She fell back for a moment, limbs shaking uncontrollably, but she just couldn't believe it. In a mindless panic, she reached in once more and dug again, bringing to the surface something off-white and dome-shaped at the top. She stumbled away with a horrified cry, not needing to see anymore to know what it was. Someone had been killed and buried inside her attic.  
  
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\  
  
She was still shaking, and had been for the past hour. Trembling and crying, she clutched the phone to her ear, the ring-tone echoing through her mind. It was as if her entire world had been shattered; everything she thought was real, and trustworthy in life was ruined. Her parents had told her there was no such thing as ghosts since she was just a baby, but now she found herself trapped in a house with one.  
  
"Hello?" a tired voice murmured on the other end of the line.  
  
"What the hell kind of house did you sell me?!" Rinoa yelled into the phone, quickly losing the small amount of calm she had regained.  
  
"What? Who is this?"  
  
"You never told me anything was wrong with it! This is all your fault!"  
  
There was a heavy sigh, followed by, "Let me guess, this is Ms. Heartilly."  
  
"No shit!" she screeched. "I want out of this, I want out of it now. I want my damn money back, too!"  
  
The hair on the back of Rinoa's neck stood on end, all of a sudden, and goose bumps rose on her arms. The only time she could remember being so cold, was the night she ran to Selphie's. She wheeled around, eyes darting around as she faintly heard Quistis' rambling on the other line.  
  
"Leaving so soon?" she heard a voice say. She knew it was coming, but when she finally heard it, she couldn't help the distressed whimper that escaped from her throat. The phone went dead in her hands, and the familiar silvery haze appeared before her.  
  
The silent phone slipped from her hands and she backed away from the being that haunted her life, until at last she felt her back hit the wall. Before she could so much as blink, it was upon her, the glimmering void of lifeless existence pressing against her while its cold, deathly breath brushed against her cheek.  
  
"P-please. leave me alone. I'm leaving now, I swear it, just let me make a few phone calls and I'll be gone!" she cried in a tremulous whisper. The misty light seemed to grow brighter in response, and she took this as a sign of displeasure. Her fragile frame trembled wildly, partly with cold, and party in fear. Her chest rose and fell sporadically as glimmering tears slid down her rosy cheeks and over her pale throat. "Don't hurt me. I'll leave, I swear it! You'll never see me again!"  
  
The light grew dim suddenly, as she heard an angered growl erupt thunderously from the air before her. "Damn you." she heard the voice mutter, and the voice sounded more human this time than it had before.  
  
The presence disappeared, leaving her shaken but ultimately unharmed. She collapsed against the wall, and slid down to the floor, knees buckling beneath her. Rinoa drew in several deep gulps of air before she finally crawled over to the phone and pressed the receiver to her ear. The dial tone made for a much-welcomed noise. She had just begun to tap out Quistis' number on the keypad once more when suddenly the phone was knocked from her hand with such force that it flew across the room, snatching the wire from the wall in the process. Every light in the room snapped on and glowed brightly for a brief moment before popping off and leaving the room in shadows of gray, finally signaling the departure of the moody phantom.  
  
Rinoa pulled herself up from the floor and settled into the couch, all strength leaving her body. Her eyelids grew heavier by the second as the adrenaline vanished from her system.  
  
(If it wanted me to leave so badly, why won't it let me try and go now?) was her last thought, before drifting away to sleep.  
  
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\  
  
It was early the next morning when Rinoa was awoken by the sound of a desperate knock at the door. She found that she was still on the couch, lying in the exact same position she had fallen asleep in, but now her couch throw had been pulled over her. She decided that she must have done this in her sleep.  
  
Another round of pounding on the front door sent her to her feet, and she stumbled through the living room, until she finally reached the door and jerked it open, revealing the concerned face of Selphie Tilmitt.  
  
"Rinoa, there you are! Ms. Trepe called me up all worried, she said you called her and were crying and carrying on about something, and then the phone died, and she tried calling you back and you never answered!" Selphie exclaimed in one long breath. She peaked past Rinoa's shoulder into the living room. The mess from two days ago had been neglected, and now had a new mess from the day before piled on top. "Gosh, Rinoa, what happened here?"  
  
"It's a long story, Selphie. I just. I have to get out of this house. Nothing has gone right since I've been here, and there's something. I can't explain it, but there's something here."  
  
Selphie nodded in understanding. "It's the ghost. I tried to warn you before."  
  
Just when Rinoa thought that all her tears had been cried, her eyes welled up again and spilled over. "Selphie, I found human bones buried in my attic."  
  
"Oh, Rinoa. I knew. I told you," Selphie began.  
  
Rinoa cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, I know, I just. I need some fresh air," she murmured, grabbing her coat and stepping outside. "I'll see you later," she called to Selphie over her shoulder as she walked away.  
  
Though she couldn't understand it, and would never admit it, she felt an overwhelming need to see Squall. She figured that if she just walked around town long enough, he would eventually show up like he always did. After hours of walking the streets in aimless circles, she had still not seen him. It was as if he'd vanished completely.  
  
"Come on, Squall," she mumbled, finding herself alone on a street corner. "Why is it that the one time I actually need you to be here, you never show up?"  
  
She felt the burning sensation of eyes upon her back and whirled around to see Squall eyeing her wearily. "You called?"  
  
"What the. How the hell did you manage that?" she demanded.  
  
He shrugged as he lit up a cigarette. "I guess you could say I'm a very talented man."  
  
Rinoa shook her head, arms crossed over her chest as she observed him. "I could say something to that, but I'm really trying to watch my karma these days."  
  
Squall crossed the sidewalk and came to stand beside her. "So what's the problem?"  
  
"It's. it's really complicated. Come on, you wanna walk with me? I can't bare to just stand here." Squall nodded, and the two began walking toward the heart of the town as Rinoa took a deep breath, and began her story. "Ever since I moved into that house, I knew something was wrong with it. Strange things would happen. One minute my mug of coffee would be sitting on the kitchen counter, the next minute it would be spilled over on the floor of the guest bedroom, without my ever touching it. It was scary, but I ignored it. I even ignored the nightmares. Then it got where I just couldn't ignore it anymore. I couldn't rationalize the things that were happening anymore. There's something, someone in my house. He wants me to leave so badly that I'm afraid he's gonna hurt me. Yesterday, I went up into the attic, to see about that stain on the ceiling. I found. I found the remains of a human there, Squall. Someone was killed in my house, and now they're becoming violent towards me."  
  
Rinoa took a deep breath, and looked over to Squall for his reaction. She was surprised to see that he was completely unfazed. "Squall. aren't you. doesn't this shock you in the least? Do you even believe me?"  
  
"Yes, I believe you," he replied calmly.  
  
"Well. aren't you worried about me?" she demanded suddenly, surprising herself. She hadn't meant to burst out with that question, but she simply couldn't help her curiosity and anger. "Do you even give a damn what happens to me?! This is serious!"  
  
His expression remained the same. "No, I'm not worried."  
  
She gasped slightly, Part of her was hurt, and the other part of her was angry, both with herself and with him. "You bastard! You don't give a fuck about anybody but yourself, do you?" she yelled, drawing attention from the crowd of people they suddenly found themselves surrounded by. "You know what? I don't even know why this surprises me! Of course you don't care what happens to me! You're so damn-"  
  
"Do you know why I'm not worried?" he interrupted her, still undisturbed by her tirade.  
  
"No," Rinoa answered, slightly taken aback by his inquiry. What the hell kind of question was that in the first place?  
  
He sighed, discarding his cigarette and shoving his hands into his pockets in an almost timid manner that she had never seen in him before. "I suppose it's about time you knew. Eventually you would have guessed. would've realized."  
  
"Realized what?" she asked, patients wearing thin.  
  
By this time Squall had slowed his pace, putting him a few steps behind Rinoa. After asking her question she had come to a stop, allowing the townspeople to go about their own business around her. Squall came up behind her and dipped his head low, so that his breath tickled her ear, and sent shivers through her body. "Look around you, Rinoa. Haven't you realized it yet? They're oblivious to me, as if I don't even exist. When you're with me, talking to me, they give you strange looks. Don't you understand now, Rinoa? You're the only one that can see me."  
  
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A/N: Well, some of you had guessed at this shocking secret already, despite our best efforts to throw you guys off the trail without directly lying to you. Anyway, there are many more chapters to come, so, stick around, if you will. 


	8. Squall won't leave

A/N: I am really sorry for the delay! It was my fault again. My e-mail decided to eat everything and not let me read it. Also I was stuck for ideas, but eventually got something written. So, here's the update! ~ Renegade Seraph   

**Chapter 8—Squall won't leave  **

            It was as if time had stopped completely.  The people around her, the noise of the cars speeding by, the heat of the sun on her pale, unprotected skin; it all seemed to have disappeared around her as she stared up into the frosty blue eyes that had haunted her dreams so often.

            "No" she whispered, shaking her head and backing away slowly.  "You're not, you couldn't..."

            She choked on her own words, the sentences caught at the back of her throat.  She didn't really know what she wanted to say, or what she felt like doing.  Her wide chocolate eyes glistened with unshed tears and her lips trembled slightly.  She shook her head again, unwilling to register this new bit of information in her mind before turning sharply on her heel and walking away. 

            "Rinoa, wait a minute!"

            She quickened her pace at the sound of his voice, breaking into a sprint as she made her way through the crowded streets and back into a mostly empty back alley.  She slowed down, no longer able to hear his pounding footsteps behind her.  Rinoa wrapped her arms around herself as she walked, feeling an unmistakable shiver crawl up her spine.

            "Do you honestly think you can out-run me?" She heard him ask a short distance behind her.

            "Just go away," she mumbled. "I'm not in the mood to hear your lies."

            He laughed quietly. 

"You know just as well as I do, that you'll only be able to deny it for so long.  It would be easier if you just faced the truth and dealt with it." 

            She stopped in her tracks, body swaying unsteadily as she felt the energy slowly drain from her body.  She rested her back against the cold, rough brick wall and placed a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound of her sob.  As she stood there, every nightmare she'd ever had while living in that house came back to her.  Images of bloody walls and shattered glass drifted through her mind, as memories of terror and uncertainty came to the surface.

            "You bastard!" she cried suddenly.  "Everything that happened, the hell I went through!" her voice trailed away as she pushed herself off the wall and came to stand in front of him.  Shimmering tears fell over her porcelain cheeks, like rain over a blue summer sky.  Her hands clenched into fists, and before she knew it, one of them collided with devastating force into his face.  "It was you the whole time!"

            He closed his eyes briefly, face still turned to the side from the force of the blow. "I deserve that," he said quietly. "But if you would at least hear me out."

            "Why should I?  The whole time, you were the one making me miserable.  Always screaming at me to get out of your house.  Then, you'd turn around and just come hang out around me, like everything you did was nothing.  Why?  Why did you bother to ever show yourself to me?  Or is that just something you do to fuck with people's minds!  How many, how many were there before me that you did this to?"

            "I chased several people out of the house," he answered.  "But, you were the first that I ever, got to know." 

            "Why me?"

            "I don't know," he said truthfully.  "I don't know what made me decide to show up that night.  It just happened.  I wanted you out of the house still, but..."

            "You suddenly changed you mind," she finished in realization.  "That's why you wouldn't let me call Quistis and arrange for me to move last night. You stopped me in the middle of the call; you yanked the phone from the wall so I couldn't use it anymore.  You even seemed kind of angry when I mentioned leaving."

            "So you noticed?" he said nonchalantly as he studied the ground beneath his feet.

            "Yeah, I noticed," she answered with a small, half-laugh. It was kind of hard not to.  "You have an awful temper, you know.  Now, do you want to explain to me why you worked so hard to get me out, and then when you finally were gonna get what you wanted, you stopped me?"

            "I don't have to explain myself to you," he growled.  "Just be lucky that I've changed my mind.  Otherwise you'd be out of a place to live.  Now that you know about me, things in the house are gonna change.  It's rightfully mine, and you have to abide by my rules, or you're out."

"What do you even need a house for anyway?" she asked.

            "It's mine," he said again.  "I scared everyone out of it because I didn't want to have to share.  I'm making an exception for you, because I pity you, got it?"

            Her lips twisted into a smirk at his attempt to be mean and cruel again.  "I got you.  Now come on.  If you're going to be living there, too, you can help me clean up the mess you made two days ago."

            "You what?"

            "You heard me. Now move it, I'm not living in that mess." Rinoa said attempting to push him in the chest. She missed. But Squall hadn't moved. Suddenly she realised what had happened, her hands had gone straight through him. "How?"

            "You can only touch me if I let you." Squall said looking smug. Rinoa reached out for him again, this time finding his shirt under her fingers. 

            "But before..." 

            "Why do you care so much about before?" Squall answered looking annoyed.  

            "Because..." Rinoa started looking at the ground. She was so confused, nothing seemed real anymore and her head was spinning. It became so violent that she couldn't even remember what she was supposed to be answering. "I..um, S-Squall?" Rinoa asked looking around, but he had gone.   

            Rinoa reached her house 10 minutes later, her breath was heavy after her fast paced walk and for once the sight of her house comforted her. Maybe it was because she knew there was no reason to be afraid anymore, or maybe it was just the enticement of a comfy armchair. As she reached for the door handle, Rinoa suddenly had the feeling that something was wrong. 

            Stepping in carefully, what was wrong became very apparent. The furniture wasn't hers, everything was foreign to her eyes, but as she reached out and touched it, it was real enough. 

            "You took your time." Squall commented from where Rinoa guessed was the kitchen. 

            "W...what did you do?" Rinoa asked not trusting her heart; it was going to give up any second. 

            "I tidied up." Squall answered. Rinoa walked into her, no, Squall's kitchen and stared at him as though she was about to faint. 

            "But my stuff." She whispered looking around. Squall blew the comment away with his hand. 

            "It's easier this way." He said picking up a very dated copy of the daily paper. Rinoa wondered where he had got that from, it looked prehistoric. 

            "What the hell do you mean it's easier this way? Excuse me if I'm a little slow on the game here, but I think it's only normal, seeing as I've just found the guy I've been talking too for the past month is actually dead!" Rinoa said, speaking without thinking. If she'd been concentrating, she might have caught the hurt expression in Squall's eyes. 

            "It's easier for _me_ this way. Besides it's _my_ house."

            "So you keep saying." Rinoa muttered. There was a long gap of time before anyone spoke again, but finally Rinoa decided that there had been silence for long enough. "So, what we are going to do now?"

            "Must we do something?" Squall asked looking expressionless. Rinoa sat down opposite him. 

            "Well I mean, your um, bones in the attic."

            Squall visibly winced.   

            "Shit Rinoa, could you be anymore blunt?" 

            "Sorry." Rinoa mumbled looking at the floor. "But it needs to be sorted out. What would happen if I moved them?" 

            "How the fuck should I know? I can't touch them." Squall spat standing up and walking to the window. Rinoa linked her fingers nervously, she wasn't sure whether was very safe to be talking about this; she knew from her past experiences that Squall had a short temper. 

            There was a period of uneasy silence as Rinoa and Squall refused to look at one another. Rinoa scraped the hair off of her face and then let it fall back into place again. Squall watched her from the corner of his eye as she stood up and walked to the cupboard to fetch the coffee. 

            "So, why all the scary stuff then?" Rinoa asked acting as if she was completely fascinated with the coffee making process and not the answer. She shot him a quick sideways glace before flicking the switch to the kettle. 

            "Two reasons." Squall answered, his voice not sounding quite as confident as it usually did. Good, Rinoa thought. It's about time the bastard suffered. 

            "Surprise me." Rinoa said sarcastically. 

            "Ok, firstly I had to make you believe the house was haunted. In the beginning it was to get you out by pissing you off, like when I fried your car." Squall said grinning. "I really enjoyed doing that."

 From the look on Rinoa's face it was probably a good thing that Squall was already dead. 

"But that didn't work because that prick Seifer turned up. Well, obviously I had to get rid of him." Squall said smiling at the last part of his sentence.  

            "So you dropped the porch on his head." Rinoa finished through clenched teeth, but this only made Squall's smile even more wicked.

            "He had it coming." Squall muttered leaning on the kitchen units. "But, still you wouldn't leave. So now I was really pissed and had to really start throwing my poltergeist powers around. But the only one who finally drummed the idea of ghosts in your stupid head was Selphie."

            "Then you changed your mind and decided I could stay." Rinoa interjected. Something was amiss here. How could Squall gone from wanting her out to suddenly wanting her to stay? It just didn't make sense, there had to be more to it that what he was telling her.   

            "Yeah." Squall said looking back out of the window.

            Rinoa decided to leave it at that, Squall obviously wasn't going to say any more. Sighing and deciding her head had had enough stress for one day, Rinoa took her coffee and went to explore what else Squall had done to destroy her house. Suddenly before she was even halfway up the stairs, she stopped turned back around. Squall was still standing in the kitchen when she walked back in. He looked at her amused. 

            "Forget something?"

            "No. I wanted to ask you about Zell." 

            "Zell?" Squall asked frowning. 

            "Yeah, remember he saw you too. How?"

            "How, what?" Squall snapped.  

            "How do people see you?" Rinoa asked standing in front of him. 

            "People just can or they can't." Squall answered looking annoyed. 

            "But..."

            "Why are you asking me so many questions? Go and read one of your stupid romance novels or something." 

            "Fine." Rinoa said walking out and running up the stairs. Squall flinched as she slammed her bedroom door. 

            "Yes that's right Rinoa; go to your room, because this is my house." Squall said smirking into the empty kitchen.  

            Rinoa flung herself on her bed and looked at her small collection of romance novels; they weren't stupid. Well ok some of them were, like the one where a girl lost her legs too frostbite and a millionaire fell in love with her, then she flew to the moon and then finally became a famous movie star. But most of them were perfectly reasonable if you weren't allergic to happiness.

Her eyes moved over them and fixed on a book she had read a long time ago, about an old haunted house on a hill.

            Climbing off of her bed Rinoa walked over to retrieve it, it hadn't been read for long that she'd almost forgotten what had happened. Carefully sitting down on the edge of her bed, Rinoa began to flick through the pages.

            Squall was still staring out the kitchen window when he heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. Not caring what Rinoa was doing, Squall remained facing the window, until something hit him hard in the arm. He looked down to find the guilty object, a book. He looked back at Rinoa with a smirk. 

            "You fucking bastard!" She hissed, her voice barely above a whisper. 

            "I wondered how long it would take you to make the connection." Squall commented. 

            "The hand, your hand, its hand." Rinoa said pointing to the book at the last word. 

            "I confess, Rinoa, that I stole my skeleton hand idea from your book, I thought you might enjoy that." Squall said leaning against the counter in perfect ease. 

            "You're sick!"

            "Sick? Shall I tell you what's sick Miss Heartilly?" Squall shouted walking towards her threateningly. "Sick, is fantasizing about someone who is dead!"

            Anger flashed in Rinoa's eyes and she raised her hand to hit him. Squall caught it, sparking a rage of fury in Rinoa, and she lashed out in every way she could. But Squall restrained her fast and she snarled and kicked at him until he was forced to push her backwards into the wall. 

            Rinoa's skull hit the hard wall in a loud crack, making her knees buckle and bright spots of light dance in front of her black vision. Slowly, as if coming out of a dream, she became aware of two hands pressing hard against her hips, holding her flat against the wall. Involuntarily she shuddered and watched as Squall's unreadable face focused slowly in front of her. Tears began to stream down her face as she realised what had just happened, and as the shock hit home, she began to tremble uncontrollably. 

            "I don't see you as dead." Rinoa mumbled through her tears. Squall frowned, and removed his hands. At the loss of his support Rinoa slid to the floor until she was sitting, with her sobs shaking her.

            "Well I am." Squall spat, looking at her bent head and shivering form, he didn't look for long until the regret began to flood him. He needed to get out of here for a while, to go anywhere, just as long as he couldn't see her cry. Taking one last look, Squall walked out into the street and headed towards the town. 


	9. Another Morning

A/N: Sorry for the major delay. It took me a while to get this written, then there were communication problems, and so forth, but fear not! Here is the gripping conclusion! ~Dark Raion  
  
Chapter 9  
  
It was too perfect. Torrents of rain fell, pounding on the roof and windows like millions of bullets falling from the sky and hurling themselves against her sanctuary of brick and glass. The room was completely dark, with only a square of faint gray light burning through the drawn curtains. Other than the rain, and the occasional booming of thunder, the only noise was a quivering breathing. The sobs of anguish had subsided slowly, until all emotion was drained away, and now there was nothing left in the wake but a trembling body and a strange, almost hollow feeling. The gloom of the rain and darkness... it all fit her mood too perfectly.  
  
As she lay across her bed in an aimless daze, she halfway wondered if Squall had gotten caught in the terrible storm outside. Her thoughts weaved in and out of reality, and a moment of blank mindedness passed before her next thought came, berating herself for being concerned over someone like him. Besides, it wasn't as if he would catch cold and die.  
  
"I hate you," she murmured, words coming to her lips for the first time in hours. She wished that somehow he would hear her.  
  
She wanted to leave more than anything, if only for a little while. She would go to Selphie's, but at the moment, she just couldn't motivate herself to move. Her eyelids fluttered closed, against her will, and she drifted off into a seemingly infinite darkness.  
  
"I hate you!" she choked out one last time, before awareness left her. She fell into a dreamless, restless slumber, her tortured mind blazing painful thoughts and emotions even while she slept. Somewhere, in the deepest and most hidden part of her mind, she could hear herself repeating the same line over and over again.  
  
(It's not true...)  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
No matter how far from the house he traveled, the guilt followed right along. He thought by leaving her alone, by escaping the image of her tear-stained face, he could forget that he was to blame. Much to his dismay, his plan only served to worsen the regret that had twisted its way into his usually emotionless heart.  
  
He wandered through the mostly darkened streets, allowing the rain to soak his hair and saturate his clothes. Drops of freezing water ran down over the scar on his forehead to the tip of his nose, but he couldn't feel it. The vague knowledge that it was there went ignored, his mind clouded with billions of other thoughts.  
  
The town seemed completely empty, with everyone seeking shelter someplace warm and dry, where they could wait out the storm. Neon lights illuminated the slick pavement, the reflections marred by the persistent drops of rain. Everything had changed so much; from the way he remembered it. It was like walking through some distant dream, where everything was familiar, but sickeningly foreign at the same time. The world he'd known had long since passed away, as if it had died with him. It, however, would never return, and he was left trapped within this nightmarish place that made him all at once nostalgic and detached. Like walking through your home after someone else had moved in and changed everything.  
  
The thought caused the corners of his lips to twitch, as he found a brief feeling of amusement at the irony, before the feeling fled and was replaced once more with remorse. He didn't even know what it was that caused him to snap at her like that in the first place. He didn't even know why he'd changed his mind and allowed her to stay.  
  
"I don't know anything anymore," he mumbled to himself.  
  
He realized it was getting late, and wondered if he should go back. Rinoa had seemed to forgive him quickly about the whole 'I'm a ghost' ordeal, perhaps she had forgiven him for this, too?  
  
He entered the house, finding it dark and seemingly abandoned, as if no other person lived there at all. He wondered, for just a moment, if she had left, but shook the thought away at the feel of her presence. He stepped up the stairs and into the hallway, listening for her. The sound of ragged breathing filled his ears as he came to stand in front of her bedroom door. Just as he was about to go in and make sure she was all right, he heard her cry out in sorrow.  
  
"I hate you," she whispered into the darkness of her room. "I hate you!"  
  
There was no doubt in his mind that those words were meant for him. A sharp pang ran through his heart, or at least the place where his heart once was. Her anger was one thing, but her hatred...  
  
He leaned against the wall outside her bedroom door, whispering and knowing only he could hear it. "I'm sorry..."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Rinoa awoke happier the next morning, all her pain seeming to have vanished during her sleep. Still, there was a strange hollowness that she could not put her finger on. She got up, throwing a robe on, and strode down the stairs, seeing Squall staring out the window of the kitchen once more. Despite the fact that she had let go of her anger, she still felt uneasy talking to him.  
  
"What's so fascinating about that window, anyway?" she asked in a gentle, cautious tone.  
  
He turned to her with a dark, emotionless void in his gaze. "Nothing."  
  
"You're still mad at me?" she demanded. "Look, anything I might have done to upset you was-"  
  
"Don't worry about it."  
  
She blinked in surprise. "What do you mean, don't worry about it? You're being a total ass and you're telling me not to worry about it?"  
  
He was quiet for a long moment, before he finally said, "You can leave now."  
  
"You're kicking me out?"  
  
He shook his head. "No. But you're free to leave anytime you want."  
  
She tilted her head to the side. "I don't understand you."  
  
He just shook his head. "Whatever, I don't care. I'm going out now. Make whatever phone calls you need to, if you're going."  
  
"No! You're not going anywhere until you explain this to me!" she exclaimed, grabbing for him. Her fingers passed through his arm, and she let out a scream of frustration. "You're going to explain, dammit!"  
  
"What is there to explain?" he growled. "I came to my senses. You don't wanna be trapped here anymore than I want you here, so just get the fuck out!"  
  
"No!" she yelled again. "I'm not going anywhere, either! You can't scare me anymore, Mr. Leonhart!" she exclaimed, marching up to him until she was only inches away. "I know who you are, and I know you're not going to hurt me." A smug little smile played on her small pink lips. "You don't have it in you."  
  
His eyes narrowed. "Is that what you think?"  
  
"Of course. I know better now. You're not as tough as you think you are."  
  
His scowled deepened, and for a moment, the room seemed to darken, and the images around them fluctuate, as if all the things in the house that he had made his were completely dependant upon his emotions. "If there's one thing I hate," he began in a low, silky voice, "it's when people think they know me so well. You've only known the truth for a day, and yet, you think you know everything. What gives you the right?" he barked out, backing her up until she was pressed against the wall.  
  
"I see beyond your façade," she choked out. "You can't scare me."  
  
This only served to anger him more. The sky itself appeared to turn black, as sunlight ceased to pour through the window. In the dim light, she could just make out the expression of rage on his face, and his brilliant blue eyes that seemed to glow with a hateful energy all their own. He roughly grabbed her by the wrist and raised her trembling hand until it was pressed against the left side of his chest. "Do you feel a heart beat?"  
  
Her cheeks flushed, and she shook her head vigorously. He tightened his grip on her hand, not enough to hurt her, but enough to send shock jolting through her body.  
  
"That's because I don't have a heart," he continued. "I don't feel, I don't care. There's nothing there anymore."  
  
"B-but you... there were times when," she began to protest.  
  
"Enough! You don't believe me? You want to feel what I feel?" he questioned. Before she could open her mouth to speak, he dipped his head and forcefully pressed his lips to hers. A whimper escaped her throat against her will, heat traveling through her veins for a brief moment before it was eclipsed with something utterly cold, and empty.  
  
Her chest tightened, and her heartbeat slowed, her mind reeling with dizziness as if she were sinking into death. A black void spread through body, starting from her heart and seeping into her blood. If felt as though a clawed hand was tightening within her chest, squeezing the last few ounces of warmth and emotion from her, until there was nothing left but a vague, aching pain that swirled within the emptiness that threatened to consume her. She was falling endlessly into a pit of dark ice, and it seemed as if there would be no returning.  
  
He pulled away from her suddenly, and she sank down to the floor without him to hold her up. She brought a shaking hand to her mouth and gently touched her lips with unsteady fingers.  
  
"Do you understand now?"  
  
She fought away the flood of tears in her eyes and gazed up at him. "That's what you lived with, for so long?"  
  
He nodded, and felt a tiny satisfaction that she finally understood. He was shocked, however, when she stood from the floor and attempted to throw her arms around him, only to have them pass through his body. She backed away in disappointment, and took several deep breaths to steady herself.  
  
"If there were some way I could fill that void for you, I would," she whispered softly. "No one should have to live with that."  
  
His eyes widened in true surprise. "But why? Why would you... when you hate me?"  
  
"I don't hate you," she sighed. "I never even said that."  
  
"Yes you did," he accused. "Just last night."  
  
Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember the words that passed between them the night before. "Last night, when I was alone in my room? You heard me?" She couldn't help but laugh weakly. "Squall, sometimes I say things I don't mean. Everyone does. It was never meant for you to hear it, because I never meant it. I was just so angry... I'm sorry. Is that what all this was about?"  
  
He crossed his arms over his chest, and the hollowness Rinoa had noticed before seemed to ebb slightly. "It's not just that. It's... everything. Sharing my house isn't going to be easy. Especially with someone that... that..."  
  
"That what?"  
  
"With someone that thought about me the way you did," he finished, trying desperately to look everywhere but at her.  
  
Rinoa blushed, but decided to be blunt. "Well you know, I can't help it if you're attractive. I just thought you were some mysterious, strange guy that had a thing for popping up wherever I went. I didn't know that you were... I mean... I couldn't help it."  
  
If she didn't know better, she would've sworn she saw him blush. The sky lightened outside, and once more, that emptiness diminished. "I guess so. It's just... weird."  
  
A smile graced her features as she moved closer to him. "Well, I guess I could always call up that Seifer guy, you know, so I won't be so lonely," she teased.  
  
"Ha, ha," he deadpanned. "I don't much care what you do, but that I forbid."  
  
"So now you're telling me what to do? I'd like to see you try and stop me."  
  
"Yes, it's for your own good. And yes, I will stop you. I'll lock you inside the house if I have to."  
  
"But I thought you wanted me out?"  
  
"Well... I guess you can stay, so long as you don't cause anymore trouble."  
  
The hollowness was gone, filled by a strange connection she'd never noticed before. Rinoa sat down in a chair next to him and gently touched his arm. "I can touch you now. Why?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes weird things happen like that. I can't always explain it."  
  
"I see," she replied. "So, answer me truthfully. Are you jealous of Seifer?"  
  
"What? N-No!" he exclaimed. "He's just an asshole. He's not good for you."  
  
"I guess I have no choice to take your word for it," she sighed. "In the mean time, I guess being stuck here with you isn't so bad."  
  
*********************************************************************** 


	10. Heaven and Hell

Dark Raion A/N: Well, I have good news and bad news. Unfortunately, Renegade Seraph will no longer be working on this fic. The good news is, we now have Almicene Pendragon on the project. This will be Almicene's introductory chapter, so here it goes.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Heaven and Hell (A.P.)**

Remaining invisible to all prying eyes, Squall stood, watching the young woman sleeping quietly in her bed. Shards of moonlight cut through the open window as the wind whispered softly into the room, spilling onto discarded romance novels. It used to be his old bedroom long ago, and his sanctuary away from the closed-minded townspeople. He was torn away from his thoughts when Rinoa gave a peaceful sigh. It was her first truly restful sleep in a while and it was mostly his doing. A small prick of guilt touched his dead heart but he brushed it away. It was her fault for being so stubborn and not leaving when he told her to.

Brushing away a lock of raven hair that had fallen across her face, Squall took the opportunity to study her. What was it about her that intrigued him enough to let her stay?

And that kiss . . . he didn't have to kiss her to show her what he had been feeling since the beginning of his dead existence. He could have just touched her and transferred the pain that way. Squall frowned, clearly unhappy with himself. Her black hair fanned around her head as small delicate fingers clutched at the warm feather-downed blanket and she shivered as a gust of wind ripped into the room.

The icy gaze softened as he pulled the blanket higher to cover her small frame. Then, realizing what he was doing, he scowled and quickly left the room before the woman compelled him to do something stupid.

* * *

Holding the hot steaming cup of coffee in her hands, Rinoa sat in the comfortable kitchen chair. Raising the burning liquid to her lips, she flicked her tongue out, testing the temperature. Deciding the coffee was indeed the way she liked it, she took a sip, closing her eyes. Her thoughts immediately wandered to a man with wintry blue eyes.

_"It's too bad he's dead . . ."_ Her brown eyes snapped open, and she chided herself. Squall was right; it was definitely not healthy to fantasize about a dead man. _"But what if . . ."_

She shook her head. That was enough of those thoughts. She turned her attention back to her coffee and felt a familiar presence behind her.

"Good morning Squall," she said, catching him off-guard. He hadn't expected her to sense him.

He merely nodded at her, sitting in a chair opposite to hers. "Sleep well?" he asked in a neutral tone. His lips were curled ever so slightly in amusement.

She gave him a mock glare. "First time in days. I wonder why," she added sarcastically, giving him a pointed look over her mug.

He merely gave her a smirk. "No idea."

"Jerk," she muttered under her breath, fighting the desire that washed over her. _"Get a grip girl!"_ She had to keep reminding herself that he wasn't alive and there could be no possible relationship with him.

"Pest," he replied easily.

"Meanie," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. He almost smiled at her antics.

"What are you going to do today?" Squall asked finally.

She frowned slightly, chewing the bottom of her lip. "Well," she said slowly, gauging his reaction, "I was thinking about going to the police station and filing a report."

Squall looked away, crossing his arms.

Interpreting his gestures as she had said something wrong, she added hastily, "That way they can start investigating . . ."

He gave her a frosty glare. "Trying to get rid of me?" he asked with a dangerous edge to his voice.

"No! Of course not! I just thought it was a good place to start!" she protested, immediately putting her coffee down. "Don't you want them to find the murderer?"

In his heart he knew she had said nothing wrong and meant no harm, but his anger over the effect she had on him, even when asleep, lead him.

"I'm dead. It's a little late now, don't you think?" he asked nastily, shoving the nearest chair against the wall with a swipe of his hand.

"You don't even care who did it? Why? What about resting in peace? Going to heaven?"

He gave her a cold smile.

"What ever made you think I was going to heaven?"

Rinoa's eyes widened in surprise of his answer. "I know you're not the nicest person out there, but that doesn't mean you're not going to heaven. Is that what you're afraid of?" she asked quietly.

"Don't dare to presume what I'm afraid of," he growled. "Why do you think I was murdered? Do you think it was just coincidence?" he demanded, stalking closer to her, forcing her to back up into the corner of the kitchen. "Do you?!" he shouted at her, closing his dead heart to her. He had lied when he said he didn't feel anything, but he wasn't going to let her know that. She would leave once she knew the truth about him. Anger was his best defense and weapon against this woman that he had tiny shards of feeling for.

"I don't know!" Rinoa finally shouted back, tears forming in her eyes. "I didn't know you while you were alive, but that doesn't mean I don't know who you are now. You aren't a horrible person! I refuse to believe that no matter how much you try to scare me off!" She was breathing heavily, as her mind raced with thoughts of what exactly Squall had been involved with when he was alive.

He shot her a withering look. "I changed my mind. Get out of my house. Get out of this town," he said coldly. He wouldn't let her . . . couldn't let her find out about him. Squall wouldn't be able to take the disappointment in her eyes. She was the only one who had put such blinding faith in his goodness, and he'd be damned if he'd lose that last bit of hope for his salvation.

Rinoa stood there, backed against the wooden cabinets, unmoving as a tear escaped her eye. She hastily wiped it away, not wanting him to see how much he affected her. "Why? Why do you hate me Squall?" she whispered softly.

He turned his head away from her. _"I don't."_

"Too many reasons to name huh?" she joked, her voice loaded with hurt, as she forced herself to withhold her tears. She stepped around him and began walking out of the kitchen. The raven-haired woman didn't turn around as she added, "I hope you know . . . that I could never hate you Squall, no matter what you think of me."

She walked away from him as he watched her. He wanted to bang his head against the nearest cabinet. "Stupid, stupid." It was the right decision. She'd want nothing to do with him if she learned more about the circumstances of his murder. But if it was for the best, why did he feel as if he had made a terrible mistake in letting Rinoa go?

Squall sighed, and shoved his gloved hands into the deep pockets of his trench coat and disappeared. He couldn't let her leave thinking that he hated her. There was only one thing to do. He shuddered at the thought. Apologize.

* * *

A heavy sigh escaped the ghost's lips as he watched her pack her things. Just maybe she would understand. He hated the fact he didn't want her to leave, and even now he couldn't just let her go, despite the danger to both of them if she stayed. His death should have taught him not to have feelings, not to have a conscience. But Rinoa kept working at the little resistance he had against her.

She just had to be beautiful . . . even when she was crying.

Trembling fingers didn't help packing any. Rinoa tried to fold her shirt for the third time, but gave up when she tied the sleeves into a knot instead. "Damn it!" she cried, frustrated. Why did a stupid ghost have this effect on her? He was right; she needed to get away from him, and the desires he evoked within her.

Squall materialized behind her, more nervous than he showed. "You're supposed to fold shirts, not tie them in knots," he commented dryly.

Rinoa whirled around, immediately covering up her tears. Her pain shone through her eyes despite her efforts. "What are you doing here?" she said, angry. "Don't you have people to scare? Houses to haunt or something? Hearts to break?" She could have kicked herself – she hadn't meant to say the last part.

"Rinoa-" he tried.

"No! I don't want to hear it! I'm getting out of here, just like you wanted. It's for the best anyways," she said, turning back to her clothes. Viciously she began sorting through them and throwing them in her suitcase.

"Look-"

"What part of 'I don't want to hear it' don't you understand Squall?! Did your common sense die with you?" she hissed. She was being mean, she knew, but his apathetic attitude towards her feelings hurt her.

"Damn it Rinoa!" he growled, pinning her to the wall. His gloved hands dug into her shoulders as her surprised eyes looked into his. She quickly changed her expression to one of anger.

"Get off me!" She tried to push him off, but his well-toned body didn't move. She tried to ignore his proximity and the nice muscles she had felt under her fingers. _"Ok, Rinoa, this is NOT the time to cop a feel. You're not that desperate as to feel up a dead guy!"_

"Would you just listen when I'm trying to apologize to you?!"

Rinoa looked up at him. "Apologize?"

"Yes!" he said, annoyed.

Neither person moved and Rinoa's lips quirked up into a small smile. "I haven't got all eternity like someone I know."

_"Shit, what now? How do I do this?" _Squall released his tight hold on her, and immediately missed the warmth of her body. One hand automatically scratched the back of his head in nervousness. "I'm . . . I'm sorry ok?" he growled softly.

She couldn't resist teasing him. "For which part? Being an ass? Kicking me out of your house yet again?" Her voice grew softer then. "For kissing me yesterday?"

"What?"

"You heard me," she said softly, stepping closer to him. Rinoa dared to place her hands across his dark gray t-shirt and met his eyes.

Squall swallowed hard. He knew if his heart were still beating, his pulse would be racing. He'd never had a woman so close to him before . . . and wanted it.

"Are you sorry that you kissed me yesterday?" she asked again.

He felt her warm breath and he couldn't resist the temptation of being drawn in further to her. He quickly seized her lips with his before he changed his mind. The heat of her body invaded his senses, and he crushed her against the wall with his body. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the feel of him. Rinoa opened her mouth to him and Squall responded by deepening the kiss.

Then as if realizing what he was doing, Squall pulled away from her, slightly disoriented. He caught the hurt in her eyes, and cursed silently. He had let his selfishness overrun his common sense. He didn't deserve her. He had earned this fate, and he wouldn't pull her into this hell with him.

"Damn it Rinoa. Why are you doing this?" he asked shakily.

"So does this mean you don't want me to leave after all?" she responded, with a small smile on her face.

He gave her a pointed look and sighed. She was too damn innocent. "It's dangerous for you to stay here."

"Because of the way I feel about you?"

He shook his head. Why couldn't she just understand? "It's safer for you to forget this whole thing – what's in the attic and investigating this."

"Why though?" she asked, confused. Didn't he want to know who killed him at last and have a chance at resting in peace?

"I wasn't a good man Rinoa," he said simply, wanting the conversation to end.

"That doesn't mean you should just let the murderer get away with this!"

He raised his ice-blue eyes to her brown ones. "Just forget about it."

"Squall?" She reached out for him, but he stepped away.

What was going on?

"Forget it!" he yelled, disappearing once again. Once out of her sight, he collapsed against the wall. She didn't understand. He deserved the pain he felt, that which he showed her in the first kiss. Why couldn't she ignore the circumstances surrounding his murder and go on about her life? Why did she want to help him? Squall let out an anguished sound and threw the nearest object against the wall.

He knew those he owed the most to couldn't hear him, but he tried anyways.

The pain in his heart conveyed the intensity of his emotions even though his lips could merely utter two words: "Forgive me."


	11. Brotherhood

Chapter 11  
  
It was starting to become a nasty little addiction, this new habit of his. He knew it was only hurting both of them. His very presence seemed to make her restless, even in her sleep. Was it animosity she felt toward him, anger that severed the peculiar connection between them that so eluded his comprehension? Or was it his fault, for pushing her away? Putting distance between them was the right thing to do, he was certain, and yet, like someone hopelessly dependant on the simple essence of her being, he found himself back here, watching over her once more as if in a protective manner. He hated himself for it.  
  
If she breathed a single word about her discovery to the police, they would find out, and they would find her, within a matter of days, no doubt. As much as he hated to admit it, the thought scared him. To lose her... when did this woman begin to mean so much? What was it about her that made him reveal himself to her anyway? Why had he wanted to know this woman on a personal level?  
  
_"I hope you know . . . that I could never hate you Squall, no matter what you think of me."  
_  
The words echoed in his mind, refusing to leave him in peace. Such an innocent confession... she couldn't possibly know how those simple words made him feel. She claimed she couldn't hate him, and yet, she didn't know who he really was. Would her promise still stand if she knew the truth? No, it was more than he could ever hope for to have someone accept him after the sins he'd committed. Hesitantly, he raised a hand and gently traced the curve of her face, allowing himself the forbidden pleasure of touching her in this one moment when she would never know. He was not worthy of someone like her, yet he couldn't let her go, clung to her faith in him and her kind words like it was the only thing he had left in that world.  
  
He brushed back her bangs, and she sighed peacefully, suddenly sinking into a deep and relaxed slumber, as if all she needed was his touch to put her mind at ease. He didn't want to think about it that way. Never in his life did he have the kind of problem controlling himself and his desires as he did now, and he certainly didn't want to fuel the fire. To even consider the idea that she wanted him put far too many thoughts in his head that didn't need to be there.  
  
Lost to his mind, he didn't notice that she was stirring, his hand having slowly withdrawn from her forehead. Through blurry eyes she gazed up at him, panic clenching in her chest before her eyes adjusted and she realized it was only her unfriendly ghost. He seemed to be a part of another universe, looking at her, yet seeing through her, or not quite seeing her at all. His hand was paused in mid air, as though he were frozen just as he was reaching out to touch her. She was afraid to ask, but she had to know...  
  
"What are doing here?"  
  
As soon as the words left her mouth, the man before her disappeared in a silver haze, like an illusion or dream that existed only to her mind. She knew better, though. The moody specter had been caught doing something that he didn't want her to know about, and had fled. She shook her head, and wiped the sleep from her eyes before rising from her bed. She wasn't about to let him get away with it that easily.  
  
Finding him was more of a challenge than usual, as she could no longer feel his presence within the house. She wasn't sure what it was that bonded the two, but it saddened her to know that it was gone. Was he really that angry? Did he really hate her that much?  
  
It was just like him to do something clever like hiding in plain sight. She stumbled through the living room, eyes searching every corner, yet, in the darkness she didn't see him at all. She would never have known he was there if he hadn't spoken before she left the room.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I could ask you the same thing," she replied, edging closer to his spot by the window. "What were you doing in my room?"  
  
"I was never there. You were imagining things."  
  
"It's not nice to lie to a lady, Squall," she retorted and tried to place a hand on his shoulder. It passed through, and she quickly snatched her hand back, as though she had just reached a hand into a flame. It unnerved her when he did that, and she was sure that was the very reason he chose not to take solid form. Every time that happened, it only reminded her again of what she so desperately wanted to forget, and that was what he wanted. "Were you trying to kill me in my sleep?" she asked, only a small tinge of humor apparent in her voice.  
  
"Yes. That's exactly what I was trying to do."  
  
Rinoa sighed and moved to the window, peeking through the blinds at the silent street beyond. She was weary of the man next to her, fatigued from the sleep that she'd lost over him, and reluctant to face the issue at hand... still, it couldn't be ignored.  
  
"I want to know the truth," she said after a moment's hesitation. "I know you don't want to tell me, but... I deserve to know. I'm part of this now, I'm involved in your life whether you like it or not." She turned to look at him, her eyes now glittering as they reflected a desperate longing to understand the man beside her. "I need to know."  
  
"I take it your not talking about me being in your room?"  
  
"No, I'll let that one slide for now. I want to know... what makes you so afraid. I want to know what you think is so horrible that you could never be forgiven. I need to know, Squall."  
  
"I can't tell you, and you have to understand that. Any bit of information puts your life in danger." He paused, running his fingers through his hair as he struggled with his feelings. "Don't think I care or anything. If you were gone it would make things a whole lot easier on me. But..."  
  
"My life means so little to you?" she interrupted. "It's not me you're worried about it, is it? You just want a clear conscience about it. You don't want the burden on your shoulders..."  
  
"Yeah," he lied. "That's it exactly."  
  
He was talented at the art of deception. Most of his life, after all, had been built on lies and distrust, and it was something that he had come to accept, something that no longer made him uneasy. Yet, after all the years and all the lies that passed his lips as easily as if it were the truth, it took all he could do to lie to her now, and all the will power he possessed not to take it all back as he saw the tears that formed in her eyes. He had to keep reminding himself that it was for her safety.  
  
"What have I ever done to you?" she asked after a moment, her voice barely audible as she turned her back to him.  
  
He didn't have an answer for that. She'd done nothing but put her faith in him, tolerate every terrible thing he'd ever said or done to her. He couldn't formulate any untruth that would answer her question. So, instead, he just remained silent.  
  
She turned to him, her usually amiable expression twisted into one of sorrow and anguish. "I don't care," she murmured, voice broken and trembling. "I don't care what you think of me, or how you feel. I'm the world's biggest fool, I know, but I can't... I won't leave you. I still care about you, and I can't stop... no matter how much it kills me inside."  
  
She walked away, tears burning sparkling paths over her porcelain skin that were painfully visible to him as they glittered in the dim light from the street lamp outside. He couldn't describe the feeling he felt just then, as if someone had taken piece of his soul and run away with it, a feeling, that the thing that mattered the most to him was quickly slipping through his fingers, and if he didn't do something fast, he would never be able to regain it. He couldn't stop himself from walking after her, or sliding his arms around her when he finally caught up. It was a desperation that he didn't understand but felt to its fullest extent that drove him back to her. Yes, like a man hopelessly addicted, he couldn't seem to stay away.

* * *

Blinding light cut through the darkness, melting away the illusions that plagued her memories. It could only have been a dream. There was no other way possible for such a thing to have happened. His arms around her... everything beyond that was a blur, but it didn't matter. He had rarely touched her willing, and never out of kindness.  
  
The sunlight streaming through the cracks in her blinds begged her to open her eyes, annoyingly persistent as though there were actually something out of the ordinary to see. She caved in, allowing her eyes to flutter open. There was an arm rested comfortably in the curve above her hip. So, it wasn't all a dream.  
  
"I don't understand you," she whispered. "One minute, you act like you hate me, and the next... you do something like this." She covered his hand with her own, absent-mindedly playing with his fingers while she wondered aloud. "Are you asleep?"  
  
"I don't sleep," responded that familiar, low voice from behind her that made her shiver. "You don't have to understand. It's not like I-"  
  
"Care or anything?" she finished, still exploring his significantly larger hand with gentle brushes of her own fingertips. "I don't think I believe you anymore. Why are you here? Why were you here last night?"  
  
"I'm here now because you wouldn't stop crying and you wouldn't let go of me. Every time I thought you'd fallen asleep, I'd try to get up, but you'd pull me back, until I finally gave up. You're really clingy, you know that?"  
  
She abandoned his hand, running her own up his now bared forearm. He'd taken his coat off, apparently. "If you don't sleep then what did you do this whole time?"  
  
"I was thinking."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Everything that's happened recently. I've been trying to figure out what I can say to make you forget about all of this."  
  
"You're wasting your time, then. I'm only trying to help, you know," she replied. Her eyes caught a flash of color on the underside of his forearm and turned it over, revealing an intricate ink design. Black markings swirled and curved into the shape of a lion, but the skin there was not smooth, instead it felt rough like an old scar. Red ink painted flames around the fearsome creature, and along the lion's feet there were markings, or letters that she couldn't decipher. "What's this?"  
  
"What does it look like?" he asked, quivering as she lightly traced her nail along the colored paths.  
  
"I never thought you'd be the kind of guy to get a tattoo. It looks good on you, though... It seems like... I've seen it somewhere before," she said and strained to recall where she'd seen the image before, but could draw nothing but a blank.  
  
"I'm sure you're mistaken," he retorted and quickly snatched his arm away from her before sitting up on her bed. "If you're through crying, I'll leave now."  
  
Before she could protest, he disappeared from her room, leaving her alone once more. Rinoa sat up, drawing her knees to her chest, and shook her head. "I don't understand you, Squall. I'm not sure I ever will."

* * *

He couldn't help but stare at it, his eyes following the route her fingers had made upon his scarred skin. He remembered perfectly what it stood for, everything that it entailed.  
  
_ "Loyalty. Above all else, loyalty it the most important. A lion never betrays his pride. This will be there to remind you of that, always."  
  
He stared straight ahead, focusing all his attention on a certain spot on the wall. If he didn't concentrate, he would flinch, and flinching was a sign of weakness. If he showed the slightest bit of remorse or regret, the pain would end, but so would the initiation. He would be on his own again.  
  
"We'll protect, Squall. We'll stand by you. Our life is your life, and your life is ours."  
  
The blade continued to glide along his skin, burning a crimson trail along his forearm. From the corner of his eye, he could see the man next to him hard at work, angling his knife precisely, so that the art it created would be perfect. It was hard to see the vision he worked so hard to create. It was marred by the rivers of blood...  
  
"This is a blood oath. You will pledge your life to us, and in turn, become our brother. We will be one and the same. We will work as one entity, toward one common goal. We trust only each other. This is the blood oath of brotherhood."  
  
The knife was dropped, and white clothed was quickly draped over his arm. Pressure was applied to slow the bleeding, and the wound was cleaned to prevent infection. Still, the amount of blood loss he had already suffered made him dizzy, and for several long moments, he wondered if he would die. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. His fair-haired mentor was smiling at him.  
  
"Don't worry, we won't let you die. As soon as it's healed up, we'll finalize your mark of brotherhood." That smile, black as sin itself, grew as his emerald eyes glittered. "You're one of us, now. No matter where you go, no matter what you do... you'll always be one of us." _


	12. Secrets

Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay, it's been my fault and not Dark Raion's. I've finally found the time to complete this chapter. Thanks for reading.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Secrets (A.P.)**

_The rain pounded loudly onto the Spanish tiled roof trying to slip through the slightest crack. The noise was deafening and powerful enough to cover the footsteps of the darkly dressed man outside. He pressed himself to an intricately carved column, straining to hear what was being said inside. He desperately needed to know what he had gotten himself into. _

_The guild was into a highly lucrative venture that that he had only the smallest idea of what it was. The distinctive icy blue eyes peered into the room again, finally seeing a graceful brunette relax into a chair. She was the leader and the best of the guild; he had only seen her once. He quickly moved under the window and out of the rain, letting the drops slide down his sculpted face. Her expression was unreadable as she beckoned for the men near her._

_"What's the status of our latest order?" she demanded._

_One of the men quickly answered her, eager to be the one she rewarded. "Just one more should finish it."_

_"Good," she said, thinking of who to send to get the last piece. "I want it done tonight. Take the newest member with you Cross. I want him to be the one to collect it. Understood?" She gave him a meaningful look laced with warning. She would not tolerate his disobedience again._

_"Of course Lady," he answered carefully, keeping any emotions he held from his face. It wouldn't do him any good for her to see what he really thought of her. He would have loved to get rid of her though. He was the most likely candidate for successor, as long as Lady didn't get in his way. She was the one who made the decisions. She was also the only woman in the brotherhood and he resented her for it. The very idea of a woman being in a brotherhood! If only she hadn't been responsible for their prosperity . . . He would bide his time, but would have to obey like a good little dog for now._

_The man moved stealthily away from the window and stole away, even more confused than before. He only knew he would be the one they were taking on the run tonight. He was their newest member after all. The bandage around his arm was still there, reminding him of his blood pledge to a brotherhood he wasn't so sure he wanted to be a part of any more._

_He had thought they had finished discussing the important details of the meeting, but little did he know the next words spoken were the most crucial of them all._

_Cross watched the woman as a flicker of emotion he could have sworn was sadness crossed her face. Her eyes refocused on him as she brushed away a memory. "Cross." He nodded his head, indicating he had heard her. "If he fails, kill him . . . permanently." _

* * *

Rinoa woke up sharply with a gasp, startled from the intensity of the dream. She had felt the fears of the man hiding in the shadows, his anxiety and his naivety. Looking around as if to search for the reason of her nightmare, Rinoa saw nothing but a few shadows cast by the moonlight. What was this place doing to her?

Quickly throwing back the covers, she quietly moved towards the other side of the room where her luggage was still packed. Fishing through a few pockets she found what she was looking for. Opening two bottles, she popped a couple of pills into her mouth and swallowed it with the glass of water she kept by her bed. Snapping the lid back on, Rinoa hurried to hide them before her personal ghost came. He always seemed to know when she was awake and where she was. She managed to hide one before she felt his presence and she knew she had been too slow.

A strong grip closed around the hand holding the bottle. A wintry gaze looked hard into hers, questioningly and almost angrily, as if she had done something wrong. He seemed to be searching for answers to his unspoken questions.

"What are these?" he demanded to know, careful not to touch more than her wrist with his gloved hand.

She met his anger with her own. Who was he to demand things from her - especially since he had not answered many of her questions? "None of your business," she retorted, trying to snatch her hand back.

"You make it my business when you do things in MY house," he growled. Not waiting for her to reply he grabbed the bottle from her hand. "Sleeping pills?" Again, his piercing gaze locked onto her eyes and she shivered from their intensity. If he hadn't looked so angry, she would have come closer, drawn to his presence. Her heart beat faster, and she wondered if he could hear it.

"Why do you have such a strong prescription?"

She didn't hear the question at first, as her eyes traveled to his lips. Damn, she really must have been half awake, as she was having trouble focusing on anything but how much she wanted the man in front of her. She subconsciously licked her lips. She heard him the second time though as he became more irritated. She thought it was because he didn't like repeating himself.

Squall grabbed her shoulders, getting angry by her obvious distraction. Not for the reasons she thought though. She made him angry that he was dead . . . She served as a reminder that because of his stupidity he couldn't have her . . . that he had lost any chance of experiencing the good things he never knew existed in life until she came.

He could feel the heat of her body even with his thick leather gloves. He could see the desire in her eyes. It was igniting feelings that he thought he never cared about . . . never wanted. The flimsy silk nightgown she wore only added to her allure. He swallowed hard, and focused his anger to disguise other feelings.

"What is this for?" he growled, shaking her roughly.

"I just have trouble sleeping ok?!" she snapped, managing to free herself, quickly putting the bottle away. Rinoa didn't meet Squall's eyes, knowing that he would be able to see through her white lie. If only it was just trouble sleeping. Rinoa ignored the ghost's presence and went back to bed. She could feel his eyes on her, studying her movements, as if he could understand her secrets by merely looking. He wouldn't see her inner demons from there she was certain. He didn't leave even as she lay down, so she said something she knew would get rid of him. "Planning on joining me Squall or you just going to watch me all night?" Even with her back to him, Rinoa felt him leave. She didn't see the anger etched into his face or the blush. He hated himself for letting her get to him.

Rinoa wrapped her arms around herself, frustrated that he could affect her so, when he didn't even appear to be phased. She knew that he must be attracted to her at least a little. He **had** kissed her back before. She sighed, wanting to feel his kiss again, not caring that he was just a ghost. She felt connected to him, and knew he must feel the same. He had let her stay after all.

Squall left the house and wandered the cold forsaken streets in the small town. It wasn't supposed to be this way . . . he wasn't supposed to be dead . . . and he sure as hell wasn't supposed to be still afraid of them.

Running a hand through his hair, Squall thought of how his priorities had changed. When he was alive the brotherhood had been the only thing that mattered . . . and now he was more concerned about Rinoa, despite pretending he didn't care about her. It was only natural to be worried about her, he convinced himself. After all, she would suffer a fate worse than his if she wasn't careful.

Sitting on a dark and desolate street curb, he softly breathed her name, as if the mere word would solve his problems. She was so trusting, so innocent that it almost infuriated him. How could she have survived this long with being that trusting of someone she barely knew? Trust in his world was something earned, not freely given, and even then it was a gamble. He had put his trust in the wrong thing when he had been alive, and look where it had gotten him. Dead. Pulling out a cigarette, Squall lit it, and calmly smoked. It had no effect on him, but the action itself was comforting, as if his body could remember how soothing it had been when he was alive.

He thought about the man who had betrayed him so many years ago. He understood why he had been killed, but the fact it had been his own mentor in the brotherhood had destroyed him. Squall could only imagine how he must have looked as his eyes locked onto his brother's.

* * *

_"This is it. Don't screw up Puberty Boy," said his mentor with a smirk. He motioned Squall onward with a gloved hand. Grabbing a small notch in the stone wall, Cross hoisted himself upwards towards an open bedroom window. Getting to the top, he peered carefully into the room, very sure about the information he had gotten. They had never been wrong. He saw the target sleeping quietly. She was their last one, and not coincidentally the most important one. Hers was the purest. Their buyer had paid an extraordinary amount of money for the order and they had yet to fail a delivery._

_Climbing back down the wall where Squall was waiting, Cross threw him a small object. He caught it with ease and examined it. It sparkled with an unnatural light and looked exactly like summoning materia he had seen before. He looked at Cross with curious eyes. Why did he need summoning anything? They were just going to steal a few things for brotherhood profit._

_"Look closer Puberty Boy," Cross said quietly, knowing that his protégé would be smart enough to figure it out. This was part of his test, to see if he was meant for the brotherhood. Cross felt more anxious than he looked. He had gotten to know his charge, and there was a good chance that Squall would fail the mission. He wasn't a mercenary at heart, despite his earlier qualifications. Squall definitely looked and played the part excellently, but Cross felt otherwise._

_"It's clear," Squall said after a moment, confusion etched on his face. "There's nothing here to summon."_

_"There's not supposed to be anything there. It's not summoning materia Leonhart," Cross said in a low voice. _

_Squall immediately knew his mentor was telling him something important, more than he would say with words. The fact that Cross had just used his real name told him._

_"It's a collector . . . made for the imprisonment of souls." Regret shone in Cross's green eyes, as he told Squall his duty. It was more than simple regret for delegating a mission. It was a lifetime worth of regret for doing the exact thing Squall would have to do, but many more times. He could still hear the very distinctive sound that souls made when being ripped from a person. It sounded as if the very breath was being stolen from them. He had nightmares every night of what he had done. Cross knew that he would go to Hell for his part in the brotherhood. But he had been the brotherhood or death. And he was too much of a coward to face death. He wished in a twisted way that Squall would not be afraid of dying. Death was much more preferable than this. He didn't want Squall to lose a little piece of his humanity every time he collected a soul._

_"What?" Ice blue eyes looked at Cross in surprise and mild panic._

_"Make a lethal blow to the target first, and press the collector against their heart. You have only as long as they are alive to collect the soul," he said calmly, despite the increasing worry he felt. He didn't refer to the targets as people because it only made the job harder as he had learned. The little bit of his conscience that was left reminded him that he was still human no matter what he did. But he could overcome his human emotions with his need to survive. He only hoped Squall would be able to do the same. "When you are done, come back here and give the collector to me. I'll do the rest."_

_"I thought we were going to rob the house or steal something valuable. Not this!" Squall protested, his stomach turning unpleasantly. He had never expected the brotherhood was into the soul stealing business. It was unthinkable to rip a soul from a person and trap it in this world._

_Cross gave him a cold smile. "Are you one of the brotherhood or not? You were a mercenary before. This isn't much different. We just collect one thing while they die."_

_Squall said nothing, hiding any emotions he was feeling and began to climb the wall with the collector in his pocket and his knife in between his teeth. He didn't want to fail any mission, but this one made him more than uncomfortable. Sure he had killed people before, but they were the bad guys. He had fought for pay, but it was always for a justifiable reason._

_Reaching the top, Squall pulled the knife out of his mouth, moving soundlessly towards the bed. It was a woman; he knew this immediately by the way the sheets clung to her body. She slept peacefully, completely unaware of the intentions of the man moving closer to her by the second. It was nearly pitch black in the room, with only shadows of objects being illuminated in the moonlight. The blade glimmered as he brought it to her throat, intending to slit it._

_Squall suddenly felt the need to see her, to touch his victim. He couldn't explain why he was so drawn to his victim. Perhaps it was because she would be his first, his rite of passage into the brotherhood and true acceptance. Slipping a glove off with his teeth and sheathing his knife, he moved the soul collector from his bare hand to the gloved one. Cautiously he reached out, caressing her cheek softly. Squall felt a sudden intrusion into his body, just from touching her. He was jarred and stumbled forward. He caught himself before hitting anything, but the woman had awoken from the slight shuffle._

_Squall thought she would have screamed so he reached for his knife, intending to kill her then, but a single word stilled him._

_"Why?" she breathed softly, not moving an inch, but turning her eyes towards him, and caught a glimpse of his profile. She could tell he was wearing a dark t-shirt, probably from the hot weather. Her attacker suddenly seemed unsure of himself. She wasn't afraid strangely enough. She felt drawn to her killer, wanting to understand his motives. Her life was unimportant to her. She lived in a hellish prison and half wished he would kill her then._

_"I-I'm," Squall stumbled over his words, before running to the window and jumping out._

_She caught the last word he said to her before escaping. He had said "sorry."_

_Cross was waiting at the bottom as Squall came down, breathing heavily, terrified of how fast everything had happened . . . had almost happened. When it came down to it, he couldn't kill her and steal her soul. He wasn't going to kill innocents for the brotherhood._

_"The soul collector?" came the single question. Cross didn't have to ask to know what Squall would say._

_Squall shook his head, breathing hard. "I'm sorry . . ."_

_Grabbing him quickly, Cross said mournfully to him, "I'm sorry too, brother." Squall met his mentor's eyes with disbelief and a feeling of betrayal running through him for a brief second. He was too surprised to react fast enough. He heard a sickly cracking sound and all turned black for Squall as Cross broke his neck._

* * *

Rinoa couldn't sleep, despite the pills she had taken. She couldn't explain any of it, the dreams, the feelings, but she suspected it was the town or the house or some piece of hidden magic. She needed Squall, even if he was mad at her. She couldn't explain her unhealthy attraction to him, but following her instincts, she made her decision.

Getting up for the second time that night, Rinoa hastily threw on a coat and shoes. She needed to find him. Rinoa knew he was no longer in the house after calling his name with no response. He would have at least given her a sarcastic remark if he had been there.

Frowning as the feeling of urgency became stronger, she rushed out of the house, barely remembering to grab the keys.

Just as she stepped over the front porch someone grabbed her from behind, shoving a white cloth over her nose as she tried to kick her attacker.

"You should have come with me the first time," the voice whispered in her ear. Those were the last words Rinoa heard before falling unconscious.

* * *


	13. Faces in the Dark

Dark Raion's A/N: You've waited long enough, so here it is! Rejoice and stuff! This chapter was truly a collaborative effort, with Almicene lending a hand to help round out Seifer's character a bit.

Chapter 13

In the quiet void of night, ghosts of the past seemed intent on springing themselves upon his mind. He wanted just a few moments not to think or feel about anything, to purge himself of all the muddled emotions that clogged his sense of reasoning. That woman kept placing thoughts and ideas in his mind that shouldn't have been there at all.

Since the beginning of his afterlife his 'mission' had seemed clear cut enough. He would act the part of an angry, selfish spirit acting possessive over his home and keep people away. In truth, he wasn't all that attached to the house. Since he'd inherited it from the last living relative he had, he'd been away most of the time, taking up what jobs he could just to try and stay alive, to try and keep what little place he had to call his own.

The world had not been a kind place to him. Born into poverty, his parents both dead before he was little more than a toddler, he'd worked most of his life just to stay afloat, but it made little difference. He was alone and no one wanted him or cared for him, the world had cast him out into the streets, a useless burden left in the cold to die. That's why it had all seemed so promising, the prospect of some place to belong.

It had been just after the completion of one the missions he'd undertaken as a mercenary. He'd been taking a short cut through an alleyway back to the hotel he was staying at when a tall, blonde-haired man had stepped out in front of him, smirking as if he'd just encountered an old friend.

"You're Squall, right?" he'd asked, and immediately Squall had prepared himself for a fight. "Relax, I'm here on peaceful terms. I'm here with a job offer, actually."

"I don't take jobs from street thugs," Squall had responded. "I'm not that kind of mercenary."

"Didn't think you were. You're good at what you do, though, that's why we've been watching you. She thinks you'd do well as one of us."

"She?"

"Lady of the Brotherhood. She has a soft spot for guys like you... guys with no family, no place in the world. Isn't that what you are? Just a forsaken child?" The blonde man recognized the irony of the situation. He had been approached the same way just a few years ago and he had taken it the same way Squall was taking it. He'd never thought there would come a day when he would be the recruiter, but things were changing rapidly now. They needed more people, more reliability. She thought Squall had the potential to be one of the best and had sent him.

"You know nothing about me."

"More than you think. We're like a family, Squall. We look out for each other, we have a place to belong. You'll never want for anything under her care, you know. She'll treat you like her own child." He hid a bitter snort at his last statement. The lies flowed naturally from his tongue. Well, some of it was true at least. The Brotherhood did look out for their own, but he couldn't verify the truth of his last comment. There were rumors, whispers behind the Lady's back, that once she had a child, or maybe even children of her own. Her past was nearly a complete mystery to everyone, and she kept it that way.

He'd never admit to another soul how appealing it sounded to have some place to belong, to have someone that seemed to care about him. He should've known the price for it would be too high for him to handle.

From there, things had been easy enough it seemed. Drive everyone away from the house, and if he was lucky, they'd never get involved in his past and never draw unwanted attention to themselves. It had worked out so well until this one woman came along and caught his eye. Now everything was a mess and he had no clue how to fix it.

He wasn't supposed to feel this way for anyone, wasn't meant to put his faith in any human being again, but he couldn't help it. Something drew him to the dark-haired woman that seemed to capture his every thought and became the focus of all his desires. Her kiss, her caress was burned eternally into his mind, as if her flesh gave the touch of fire.

He quickly shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. They were not very becoming of an unfriendly ghost.

He smashed his third cigarette into the ground and closed his eyes as he felt a wave of second-hand desperation roll through him. She was calling for him again, as she often did, and once more, he was obliged to answer. That she needed him the way she did was both a comfort and a terrible pain to him. He wanted her to need him, but hated it all the same. He hated it even more that deep down he knew, and was slowly admitting that he needed her, too.

He rose from his seat and, casting a last glance at the lonely, forlorn street that settled in the shadows around him, then began toward the house once more. He was nearly halfway there when he suddenly stopped in mid-stride, a tidal wave of fear crashing through his system. A pain burned in his chest and a terrible pressure formed at his temples. He took one more step forward, staggering slightly, before his vision was overcome briefly with a static image of a sneering face that tugged at the recesses of his mind.

As soon as he was free of whatever had taken control of his brain, the worried spirit immediately disappeared in a silver haze. After all, walking was mostly just a way to ease him mind, rather than a necessity. When he appeared on the doorstep, still roofless from his earlier amusements, no one was there and the fear had left him just as soon as it had come, as if someone had simply unplugged the cord to his emotions.

He was about to enter the house in search of his 'roommate' when the squealing of nearby tires caught his attention. A black van was hurriedly turning a corner down the street, kicking up gravel as it went. Squinting against the street lamp, Squall could see the van was lacking a license plate, and the windows were tinted. First hand experience told him this was just the kind of shady-looking vehicle that someone out to do harm to another would use... just like the kind of vehicle they had used before...

* * *

She turned the icy sphere in her fingers slowly, cat-like eyes peering into the blackened streets below with a forlorn expression tugging her small lips into a frown. How many had it been now? Too many, too many for her to ever dare beg forgiveness. Still, it didn't matter anymore, she could only accept what she had done with her life. Just one more, and she would walk away from it all, and try to forget as the years caught up with her, the hell that awaited her at death.

"But what is this immortality but hell on Earth?" she murmured to herself, setting the small, marble-like object carefully upon her desk.

Though her face was darkened with years of cruelty and inner sadness, not a single wrinkle or gray hair marred her youthful appearance. When it had all first begun, she was a young woman, desperate to do anything in her power to maintain her family's faltering fortune. The economy was heading into a downward spiral, and none of the legitimate businesses her brother attempted panned out. The only business going anywhere in those days was that of soul selling, and that's exactly what he got himself into, forming his own little underground organization to keep it running.

"Aristocrats, vain and knowing nothing more than superficial perfection throw away their money continuously to feed off the souls of the pure to maintain their health and youth... that's what we've all been reduced to. The poor would do it, too, if they could only afford it."

Their most important client had something else up his sleeve, however, of that she was certain. Rumor had it that he had found some other use for the pure souls that he bought. He was almost a collector of sorts, seeking only the purest of souls. He had done the research himself with some kind of spiritual medium, compiling a list of the souls he needed. The dirty work, however, fell to her. Over the last decade they had filled every one of his orders except for one, a retrieval gone awry all because she had sent a new member out to get it. Not only had the target lived that night, but her guardians had immediately moved off elsewhere, fearing some other kind of trouble from what they had since deemed a 'bad neighborhood'.

"We'll have her now, though... and I can walk away from this..."

How long had she been running now? It no longer seemed important to count. She could've handed down the responsibilities bequeathed to her after her brother's death down to the next in line within the Brotherhood long ago, but she was too afraid to stop. She knew that when she stopped reaping the benefits of free souls to consume, she would face the afterlife of the damned once age caught up with her. Part of her knew she couldn't run forever, but the denial had been so great...

The double doors leading to her office swung open, her best and most trusted operative standing in the doorway with a devilish smirk twisting his lips.

"We have her. Should I do it now? Some of the boys are getting a little curious about her, if you know what I mean." She was pretty enough, and at one point, would have been the kind of girl he'd go after for a relationship. But now? What future did he have to offer her, or even himself for that matter. He was long done with any emotional pleasures a woman could offer. It was too much of an investment now…too much of a strain to pretend to care. He knew the Brotherhood had hardened his soul to the sufferings of others. Why should he care about any one else but himself any more? Sometimes he wondered how he would have turned out, had he declined the 'kind' offer to join the Brotherhood. Better perhaps? It was too late to think about it now though. He could not turn back, nor could he leave. One day, he knew, his sins would catch up with him, and there would be no mercy. He deserved none.

"Anyone that lays a hand on her will suffer at my hands," she snapped, knowing that the warning would scare off anyone feeling too 'social' around her much needed order. "No, you will keep her alive for now. Our client is purchasing the body for a project of his own, you know. I hear he's going to start preserving soulless bodies and sell them as shells for ghosts and lost souls to inhabit."

Her companion snorted derisively. "He actually believes in ghosts? How are they gonna pay him, invisible cash?"

She narrowed her eyes at his foolhardy arrogance. Best operative or not, he could use a few lessons in humility. Nevertheless she humored him. "He is of the belief that the families of the deceased's loved ones will pay for the body, I assume. At any rate, she is to be left alive and alone for the time being, Cross."

"Will do, ma'am," he said with a mock salute, before leaving her to her window gazing once more.

* * *

Was panic a potent enough word to describe the feeling steadily spreading and eating away inside his chest? If he were living right now, he was certain he wouldn't be able to breath. As it was, he couldn't seem to even feign breathing as he'd often done around Rinoa, for there seemed to be a huge weight crushing what would have been his lungs in. They had taken her. He hadn't even been there to protect her.

"How could I have been so stupid?" he murmured, placing a gloved hand to his head. What kind of immature asshole was he to leave her unprotected just because his temper had gotten the better of him? "They probably all ready killed her," the realization came out in something of an anguished moan and for the first time in his afterlife he wanted more than anything to feel the reprieve of nothingness that fading from this world could bring. He couldn't handle the pain nipping at him as reality tried to settle in. He never got to say the things he wanted to say, he would never know her all-consuming touch again... it was all just suddenly gone.

He leaned back against the door, trying desperately to turn his mind emotions off. He didn't want to feel this anymore, he just wanted to be, to drift like dead and useless energy without purpose as he had before. As he was struggling to sever those feelings from himself, he felt something that could only be likened to a light that one sees blinking on in their peripheral vision. Turning his gaze to the lights of the city in the distance, he sensed something that he couldn't quite place there, emanating from some undetermined destination. He tried to focus on it and the pull that seemed to come from it, beckoning him forward. An image of a dimly lit room, bare with a window allowing moonlight to seep through in one side dominated his vision suddenly, and he could see the blackened outline of a masculine figure not far away.

The vision was brief, and when at last he could see only his familiar front lawn once more, a terrible pain echoed through his head and he felt a weakness that he had never known before. Yet still, that pull wouldn't stop. His heart, though forbidden by his mind ever to hope, wondered if it could possibly be her that he was feeling. After all, the two shared some kind of connection; it wouldn't be impossible to believe that he could feel her presence.

Should he begin what could ultimately end up a fruitless journey, risk reaching out in faith only to find himself later hollow and broken for chasing false hope? The question didn't weigh on his mind as much as the one that followed. Could he simply stand and do nothing, knowing there was still a chance? No, the answer was no. If her life was in his hands, the last thing he would do was let it slip through his fingers...

* * *

Her eyes opened to a painfully empty room, and as sensation slowly returned and she could feel her limbs again, she realized she was tied to a chair. There was little that she could see in the darkness, the half-moon peeking through the window allowing her only to make out the light colors of the walls and the dark carpet beneath her feet. She couldn't move and there was no one in sight, not even the man that must've taken her. The only thing she could do was cry out for _him_.

The creaking of a door cut through the silence that had pooled, thick and suffocating within the room, and bright light briefly illuminated the world around her, before it was once more shut out by the door.

"Well, how are we doing, Princess?" the masculine voice that had taunted her before wondered, heavy footsteps bringing him ever closer to where she sat.

Squinting through the darkness, she could just barely make out the shape of a man when she returned with, "What do you want from me?"

"Well, we mustn't keep the Princess in suspense, huh? Come tomorrow, I'm going to kill you. You see, you're a very special lady, Rinoa." He gave off a sound that seemed faintly like a chuckle. "Ironic that you would choose that house."

"Why?"

"It was his house... He was my one act of mercy. But one act of mercy in the midst of a thousand acts of cruelty can't get you through heaven's door, can it?" He let the question he'd been contemplating for the last few minutes slip through their conversation. He wondered briefly if the purity of her soul could erase some of the stains from his. He quickly dismissed the notion. There was no mercy, and no hope for redemption.

"Squall," she murmured to herself, but he heard her well enough through the silence.

"How did you know?" Was it possible? A small shred of hope lifted his spirit for a few seconds. Maybe he wasn't lost after all.

She wasn't about to tell him that Squall was her spectral housemate. Even if this man was a deranged psycho, even if he was going to kill her, she would at least go down without someone thinking she was crazy.

"He was listed as the last owner of the house."

"You mean the last one that stayed for any period of time?" he added. "Oh, I've heard all about that house and his goings-on within it. I guess everyone else here moved on quickly and forgot, but I couldn't. I kept up with it all. You've seen him, haven't you? That's what I can't figure out... why you didn't leave like all the others. Must be because you're such a special lady."

"Who the hell are you?" she cried out, suddenly tired of all the secrets and lies. "Tell me, how you know him!"

He stepped even closer now, until the faint light caught his golden hair and his emerald eyes seemed to glow at her in the darkness. He began speaking, his words ringing out louder than the gasp the squeezed from her throat.

"I'm the reason he's no longer living... and the reason he's not quite dead." He gave a bitter chuckle. "Had I known at the time that my single act of mercy wouldn't be merciful at all, I wouldn't have bothered."

"You killed him. Seifer... that's why he dislikes you so much..."

"Dislike, is that all? I would've expected something more from him." Disappointment seeped through his voice. Had he elicited nothing more than dislike from the man that had been the closest person to him?

"He didn't really seem to care, but... he was adamant that I stayed away from you." Rinoa shot an accusatory glare at the man standing before her. "Now I know why."

"I'm a bad, bad man," he divulged. "And I've done evil things. Things that would make your shudder in revulsion, shiver in fear even while you sleep – that is if you could sleep if I told you about them. And he's done them too. But he never could sink to the level that I sunk, even when he wanted to. You should be proud of him." His lips curled into a derisive sneer. He hated Squall. At least that's what he tried to make himself believe, but if he admitted it, he didn't hate Squall at all. He hated the courage Squall had, what he had lacked in himself.

"What did you do that was so bad? What did he do?"

"I'm going to kill you, Rinoa, and steal your soul. And I won't bat an eyelash when I do. That's what I do for a living, steal souls and sell them to the highest bidder. Someone paid quite a bit for you." He reveled in her fear; it was one of the few pleasures he had left to enjoy. He made others suffer because he knew that he would suffer an even worse fate once his crimes caught up with him. In a twisted way, it made him feel better because it meant he would not be alone in his misery.

"Soul stealers?" the question came out in a tremulous voice broken with tears. She willed herself to continue, and not to give into the fear that the man in front of her was so obviously looking for. "I've heard of this thing before, an underground industry... Did... did he?"

"Did Squall steal souls? You know it's funny you should ask, Rinoa. Very funny that you should ask. I think that's something you should take up with him." He turned his back to her, heading out. Before he left he gave her a cruel smile. "That is…if you ever see him again."

Rinoa looked away then, unable to speak anymore. What had she gotten herself into? And most of all... How important was the past?

* * *

Walking was merely a sport that he indulged in whenever the fancy struck him. Now was not the time for sport or fancy, however, now was the time to move as quickly as possible, and the speed of thought was a pretty quick way to move. Unfortunately, he couldn't think about being in a place he'd never seen before, and most of his memories of the city had washed away with time. The closest place he could remember was still a good walk away from the place where the presence felt strongest, so it took longer than he would have liked before he found himself standing outside of a tall building of glass and steel.

Getting inside was no challenge, and when he walked through the first floor lobby, no one saw him, of course. The closer he got, the easier it was to pinpoint the alluring forcing that was driving him on, and he could now locate it some place near the top of the building. He stepped into the elevator, deciding that he would know by feeling when to get off, and squeezed himself into the back so he would be as unobtrusive as possible. He could easily go through the people if need be, but there was something awfully unsettling about having someone stand in the middle of your very being, so he wanted to avoid that if possible.

The ascension was terribly slow, or so it seemed now that he was confined to traveling like a mortal. At one point, it ended up with only him, a man, and a woman inside the elevator, and as soon as they thought they were alone, the man and woman were all over each other, leaving Squall feeling awfully uncomfortable. Luckily, as the elevator hit floor thirty-two, something clicked, and he knew that the presence he sought was there on that floor. He flew forward and pressed the button, and the only two people in the elevator were so wrapped up in what they were doing, they never noticed.

The hallway was dark and seemingly void of life as he wandered in search past empty offices and bare rooms that lacked even the faintest signs of ever being used. He was at a loss of where exactly to go, when the sound of a door slamming shut caught his attention. He stood still, watching down the hallway as a tall figure approached quickly. When he came close enough for Squall to make out his face, he felt a shock run through him that he was certain would have twisted his heart had it still existed within his chest. He couldn't help the name as it escaped from his mouth.

"Seifer..."

The blonde stopped in his tracks then and looked around, a frown twisting his usually smirking lips. "Who's there?"

There was no sense in hiding now, and maybe, just maybe, Seifer could be reasoned with. He never properly finished the job before, anyway. Squall had many years to replay what Seifer had done, and the betrayal he felt then washed over him again.

"You've got someone important to me, Seifer," Squall began, still invisible to Seifer's eyes. "I want her back."

"That voice is awfully familiar... Is it true what I've heard then? Are you really just a lingering spirit now, Squall?" Seifer cursed himself under his breath. He sounded too hopeful for his own liking.

"It's true. Thanks to you..."

"Had I known you would stay attached to this world I would've stolen your soul as I was told to. Had to snag some homeless guy off the street that night, since I did you that little favor. Are you telling me you don't appreciate it?" He would make Squall hate him, just as he hated himself. Every day he thought he lost more of himself to the ever consuming darkness. Nights were even worse as the screams, pleadings, and hatred of his victims haunted him. He avoided sleep as much as physically possible. Seifer wanted to escape the demons that threatened to consume him. Maybe he could do it through Squall. Seifer constantly toyed with the thought of death, he would have all but welcomed it had it not been for his fear. He refocused on the affair at hand, concentrating on Squall's position. He would make Squall hate him, change the dislike to hate. Hatred was one of the few emotions that made him feel alive, that made him remember that he was not dead yet, in body if not spirit at least.

Seifer grinned that terrible, demonic grin that curled his lips whenever he was about to do something despicable. His gloved hand dove into the pocket of his coat and he produce a clear round object. "I could always fix that for you. I don't think it's too late."

Seifer lunged forward to where he had last heard the voice with his arm outstretched, hoping to catch Squall off guard. A silvery mist appeared briefly in front of him, but disappeared just as Seifer was about to touch it. Suddenly, Seifer felt immense pressure around his neck, and he noticed a wispy black smoke curl around his arm and wrap around his wrist. The carefully constructed bones of his wrist suddenly gave a sickening crunch and he cried out as the over-sized marble fell from his fingers.

"You know, I've learned some really cool tricks over the years," came a low, gruff voice from behind him. A choking sound fell from Seifer throat as a tightness began pressing in on his heart. "I can find her just as easily without you... you're of no use to me, Almasy."

"Do you really... think you can get... out of here with her?" Seifer panted out as his vision began to blur. "We're not... some dinky little organization... like we used to be... We've come... far... in the past few years."

The black smoke he had seen before began swirling before Seifer's face, becoming thicker and thicker until he could see nothing but black. As Seifer struggled to see through the darkness, the white panel siding of a house formed at his side, and he found himself staring at a younger version of himself who was watching with a grim expression as Squall climbed down from a window.

"You should realize, Seifer..."

Seifer gasped as he watched his younger self move to strike the killing blow to an unsuspecting Squall, but saw, instead, Squall suddenly side step and plunge his knife into his chest.

"I can do whatever the fuck I want."

Seifer was certain he would die right then, right along with the illusion of himself conjured up by his attacker's spectral powers, but a woman's voice intruded on his senses, and the illusion vanished to show one of the lab technicians he'd spoken to earlier.

"Seifer, you got the right girl, but something's wrong... The scan has showed an impurity in her spirit. It looks like someone else's soul has..."

Her voice trailed off as she saw Seifer red-faced and sweating as he stood at an odd angle in the middle of the hall.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"What does she want Rinoa so badly for?" Squall's voice came in a hiss that only Seifer could hear.

"She's got a price on her soul," Seifer ground out, ignoring the worried look of the woman in front of him. "She's supposed to be the purest... that's why this guy wants her. Let her go now, Squall. They won't stop until they have her..."

Seifer was suddenly thrown into the lab technician hard enough that they tumbled together in a tangle of limbs for several feet.

"Does she know?"

Seifer didn't have to wonder what he meant. "I didn't tell her outright, but she has a pretty good idea."

There was no answer, and suddenly, the hallway didn't seem as dark as it was before. Seifer let out a sigh of relief as he realized Squall was gone to find his woman, then he smiled down at the girl crushed beneath him.

"So, how you doing, baby?"

He found her fairly quickly after he left Seifer behind, and was confident that he would encounter no problems from him. She seemed almost to be asleep when he undid the rope that bound her, and he caught her gently as she began to fall forward.

Blurry chocolate eyes opened to stare up and, when she realized who she was looking at, she was caught between screaming for joy and shying away. Could this man she had come to have feelings for really be as bad as Seifer insinuated? It didn't matter at the moment, she decided, as he helped her to her feet. He was by far the safest person to go with right now. There would always be time for questions later.

"You came for me," she couldn't help but point out the obvious as she stood before him, his hands still clasped tenderly around her arms, despite that the need for it had long since passed.

"Of course. Couldn't have your death on my conscience, too."

If it was possible to kick his own ass at that moment, he would have. He just had a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, didn't he?

She looked less than pleased by this response, but shook it off. "How am I going to get out of here? There are so many people around, aren't there?"

"I'm going to try something I've never done before," he explained, turning her around and enveloping her in his arms so that her back was pulled flush against his chest. "Clear your mind."

"I'll... I'll try," she murmured breathlessly. He felt more real to her now than he ever had. She pretended that he held her so closely out of his own free will and not necessity.

She allowed her eyes to ease closed and lost herself to the warmth that surrounded her, as if she were literally sinking into him. Her feet began to move on their own, but whether she was being guided or possessed she wasn't quite sure. At the moment, she didn't care. She was so warm and safe nothing could bother her. When she came to herself again, she was standing outside her house.

"What did you do?" she asked as he walked in front of her and opened the door.

"I enveloped you in my being, so that I could bring you here with me..."

She stepped inside on wobbly legs, not wanting to look at him for fear that her resolve to understand who and what he was would break and she would simply fall into him. He just made her too weak.

When she refused to look at him he sighed. "You were... part of me, for a while."

This earned her attention, and she looked back at him with such a mixed look of longing and fear that it sent an ache through him as well. She leaned her weight against the wall, the effects of the night taking their toll on her, and said, "Squall... you have to tell me now. You have to tell me everything."

"I will," he nodded and stepped closer to her, gently brushing her cheek. "But go to sleep for now." She nodded in return and started up the stairs. Before he could stop himself, he reached out to her, taking her arm in a gentle hold once more and whispering, in a voice that betrayed all the fear and weakness that he hated in himself, "Please... Don't be afraid of me."

She wanted to say so many things, so many words to reassure him that she could never fear him or hate him, no matter what he'd done, but she couldn't get them to leave her tongue. The only thing she could do was finish the climb to her bedroom, and leave him to wallow in his darkness...


	14. Unbidden Desires

Author's Note: Bet you guys are surprised this one is up relatively quickly :P You have Dark Raion to thank for that.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

She hated him. He was sure of it. How could she not after what Seifer hinted at. He might as well have told her all of it. Squall knew Rinoa wasn't stupid. She would figure it out soon enough if she hadn't already. Probably the only reason she had come with him was the fact she had limited choices, and had taken the lesser of two evils. He sighed, letting out an unnecessary breath. What did it matter if she hated him anyways? It was what he had wanted right? She would be safer away from him and the Brotherhood.

Squall thought back to Seifer's words. He knew Seifer was right – they would continue to look for her until they got her. Whoever had ordered her soul had the means to hunt her down until they took it. Years had passed, and they still had not given up the chase. When Squall had been in the Brotherhood, if a target couldn't be found, a replacement equal to the one that had been lost was taken. This suggested she was too important to be replaced, or her soul was unique in some way. Seifer had said she was the "purest," – what did that mean anyways? More importantly how would he be able to hide her?

There was an alternative solution to hiding Rinoa for the rest of her life. If Seifer hadn't told anyone about him, which was likely since it would mean Seifer's death for his failure and deception, then he could do some reconnaissance work. He could find out who put the price on Rinoa's soul, and force them to retract the order. There were a few ways he could take care of the problem, but the first thing he had to do was get Rinoa away.

Squall spent the night thinking in the far corner of the attic, near his bones. He hadn't died here; rather Seifer had dumped his body here unceremoniously. They didn't bother him like they did Rinoa. He was dead and had accepted it. The dusty skeleton was merely a small tribute to his living days. Squall had stayed in the attic while she slept in his old bedroom because he knew she wouldn't come here out of superstitions or fears of the living. Or so he thought.

A small noise alerted him to Rinoa's presence as she pushed aside the attic door. Tentatively, she peeked in. "Squall?"

Had it really been that long since he had come up here that night had passed and morning had come? He glanced out the small window and saw that it was still dark. There were at least a few more hours she could sleep before the morning arrived. So what was she doing awake . . . and in here for that matter? Squall frowned. He'd have to talk to her if he was to satisfy his curiosity. The danger in it was more questions, and the harsh reality that she wanted nothing more to do with him for his involvement with the Brotherhood. Maybe he could pretend he wasn't here brooding and she would go away. He could let his denial live for just a little longer, pretend that she held the same affection for him that she had before.

Squall waited a moment, watching her form the corner in his invisible form. No such luck. He cursed at whoever was listening that she had decided to investigate further and come into the room. That was when he saw what she was wearing – decent and very indecent at the same time. A black silk nightdress that only dropped slightly below her collarbone – not indecent in the least, but it was the fact it hinted at curves beneath it that was giving him pause. With each movement she made, it swayed against her body. Squall couldn't decide whether he wanted to yell at her for wearing it or not wearing it all the time. In the end he settled for clearing his throat and religiously keeping his eyes locked on her face.

"Squall I know you're in here," she said firmly, purposefully not looking at the bones. Rinoa trembled just thinking about them. She had slept for a few hours, but had a terrible nightmare and could no longer go back to sleep. So she had sought out the only person that made her feel truly safe and protected, despite the secrets he kept.

Squall growled, slightly annoyed with her persistence, but more annoyed at the temptation she was. "Would you like a congratulations at finding me after searching every other room of the house?" he said, sarcasm lacing his cold tone. He would reject her before she announced her hate, before his feelings for her would become too much that her rejection could break what was left of his sorry spirit.

Rinoa frowned, biting her lip at his unwelcoming tone. She decided not to give him an equally sarcastic reply. "Well actually, this was the first place I looked." Should she tell him that she could feel his presence now too? Something had happened that night that caused her to feel more emotionally connected to Squall. Perhaps it had been him enveloping her into himself that caused the new bond to emerge. Whatever it was, she didn't know, but wasn't exactly sorry about it.

He materialized in front of her. There was no point in hiding now that she had found him. "Go back to sleep. There are still a few hours left," he said tonelessly. His back was to her, but he could sense she was approaching him, albeit slowly and cautiously. He almost chuckled at her hesitance. Did she think he would bite her?

"No," she said firmly, daring to place her hand on his shoulder as she reached him. She was surprised that he let her. "I…I couldn't sleep," she admitted.

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

Why was he acting this way? "What's bothering you?" Rinoa asked instead, as he still faced away from her. His presence caused her heart to speed up, like it so often did. Rinoa could have sworn that she could smell the aftershave he must have used when he was still alive. She closed her eyes, and let the scent wash over her, not caring if her involvement with him categorized her as mentally insane. She was lost to him, and she had no wish to be any where else.

Why didn't she tell him she hated him and be done with it? Her concern for him was torturing him. How could he answer that seemingly simple question? He could not yet confess his fears nor his sins to her. To do so would surely mean losing her if he hadn't already. Even though he knew it was for the best to push her away, to keep her safe, he couldn't do it now. Not while she was so close…so touchable.

Rinoa didn't press him for an answer. He would tell her when he was ready, if he ever would be. So instead she whispered to him, as if sincerity could not be transmitted through any other means. She spoke to him of the desires of her heart. "I wish you'd let me help you. I have many faults, but betrayal is not one of them."

It was her quiet plea that broke his cool demeanor. Squall snapped around, angry at her, but really angry at himself. He could not forgive himself for the things that he had done, so why should she? How dare she insinuate that he deserved her help…that he deserved _her_. "You don't know _half_ of the things I've done," he hissed, stepping towards her, forcing her to take a step back. "So don't pretend that you care about me after learning only one or two of them."

His icy blue eyes glowered at her, but she didn't flinch from his anger.

"I will help you get out of here when morning comes, but after that you're on your own." Squall dared her to contradict him. He didn't plan on telling her that he would make sure that no one ever came after again. It would give her illusions about his character. He was not a good person, and he would not let her give him false hope otherwise.

Squall turned away from her again, preparing to dissipate into thin air again, and take his brooding elsewhere but her voice full of hurt stopped him.

"So that's it then? After tomorrow you will never see me again? Is that what you really want Squall?" Rinoa had steeled herself against his harsh words, but had not expected him to want to leave her so soon. She didn't … she couldn't believe him.

He hesitated in his reply, which was all she needed to suspect his intentions. "…Yes."

"You're lying," she said unwaveringly. "You need me as much as I need you."

Squall turned away from her at her words. He hated needing her…wanting her. She made him feel so weak…so vulnerable. He neither confirmed her words nor denied them. He didn't trust his voice at the moment.

"I know you're…" she swallowed, not frightened of him, rather, not wanting to upset him further, "scared." She hoped she wasn't pushing him too far.

Still he said nothing, and Rinoa gathered her courage to continue.

"Don't you think I am too Squall?" she laughed bitterly. "I am risking everything just to stay with you…my pride, my sanity…my heart. Yet, you throw my feelings in my face, deny everything. You may be…dead, but like it or not you're still human, and you still have the same feelings that I do, for better or for worse." Now it was her turn to look away from him. "I'm scared of what will happen, of the people that want me for my soul." She rubbed her bare arms to ward against the chill of the night. "But more importantly…I'm scared of your rejection. That is the one thing I know I won't survive through. I wish I could reassure whatever doubts or fears you have, but I can't if you don't tell me."

Squall came up behind her, secretly moved by her words, hesitantly placing his hands on her bare shoulders. He could feel her warmth even through his thick leather gloves and his cold skin.

"Do I mean anything to you, Squall?" she asked him, trembling with his touch.

Everything, he wanted to answer. She had come to be the main purpose of his dead existence. He could not say he 'lived' for her, because even as he might, there was no way to change dead flesh to living.

Squall couldn't get the words to leave his tongue. Instead he let his hands move from her shoulders down her arms, his eyes tracing the path his hands took. The darkness couldn't hide her appeal. He heard her breath hitch, and she turned around to face him. He let his hands linger on her. Squall had never been with a woman before, not even when members of the Brotherhood went out of their way to indulge in the physical pleasures a woman offered. He hadn't felt the need nor the longing that his brothers had. But now, he could see the attraction, the appeal that tempted them. But Squall sincerely doubted that he would ever want another woman like the one standing before him now.

She hadn't stopped his hands, and Squall took this as encouragement to continue. He took in an unnecessary breath as his nervousness caught up with him. Only then did Rinoa stop him…or he thought she was stopping him anyways.

She caught one of his hands in hers, and slowly pulled off his glove, exposing his hand. She repeated it with his other hand, and placed them back on her arms.

She was so soft…just like he had imagined many times. His eyes met hers, full of longing and desire. Squall was surprised that she was not disgusted in the slightest. He let himself wonder what it would feel like to be with her…because if merely touching her arms was causing a torrent of sensations in him, it must be better than heaven itself he decided.

Rinoa stepped closer to him, so that only a few inches were separating them. She surprised him yet again with her trust in him. She closed her eyes and he caressed her cheek.

"Squall," she murmured.

That was enough to break the spell. What was he doing? He stumbled away from her and saw the hurt look in her eyes.

"Can't," he mumbled, still shaken by the contact.

She cried out for him and he quickly disappeared into another section of the house. Coward, he thought to himself. Damn her! Where had she been when he was still alive? When they still had a chance to be…

What was he thinking?

* * *

Rinoa was already packed and waiting for him when Squall decided to appear. She didn't smile nor greet him this morning and he could feel guilt prickle at his dead heart. With any luck, they wouldn't notice her gone until later this morning. Unlikely, but he hoped for it nonetheless. 

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

She shrugged. "What does it matter? I'm not hungry anyways." Rinoa slung her bags over her shoulder, heading for the door. "Where to?"

"I'll tell you once we're in the car."

She nodded, but didn't say anything else.

Once outside, he locked the door with a wave of his hand and checked her car for any tracking devices. Satisfied there were none, Squall motioned for her to get in. Obediently she did, tossing her few belongings into the backseat. Squall sat, invisible, on the passenger side of the car, grudgingly concerned about her skipping breakfast.

Rinoa wanted to say goodbye to Selphie at least, for she had helped her out when no one else would, but didn't want to risk it. She was afraid of endangering Selphie, as well as any questions Selphie might ask her.

Following Squall's directions, Rinoa found herself on the highway going north. She didn't speak to him unless absolutely necessary. Her heart had been broken enough by him. He had made it clear last night that he didn't want her.

They drove until it was nightfall, only stopping for gas and restroom breaks. Rinoa had refused to eat anything…the pain from her heart overwhelmed any sense of hunger she might have had. She checked into a dingy looking motel on the outskirts of a small desert town. The landscape was hardly pretty to her, as the desert expanse seemed to stretch forever. The sands were blown around by the light winds, and only small scrubs of bushes dotted the boring scenery. Then again, someone who enjoyed deserts might have appreciated the barrenness, but not her.

The manager had looked her over, and given her a sly wink as he handed her the key. She refrained from rolling her eyes at his chauvinistic behavior. Rinoa was exhausted from driving all day. Sinking onto the worn but thankfully clean covers, she let out a deep sigh. She tossed the keys onto the nearest table, and rose from the bed. She needed a nice warm shower.

Rinoa said nothing when she felt Squall leave the small room, probably to wander around the small town for more brooding. He was going to leave her soon enough anyways; it was best to form as little of an attachment as possible.

Who was she fooling…she was already attached to him, mind, body and soul. There was little she could do about it now, except to ease the emotional ache she felt whenever she thought about him.

Giving her hair one last rinse, Rinoa stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself. She didn't feel Squall in the room, so she walked out of the small bathroom for some clean clothes, only to see the disgusting slob of a manager in her room. He must have let himself in.

He gave her a toothy grin as he walked towards her. Rinoa backed away, glancing for anything she could use as a weapon. Spotting the hairdryer behind her, she spoke to distract the manager.

"What are you doing in here?" she demanded, letting her anger seep through her voice.

"Couldn't leave such a pretty thing all by herself now could I?" His sickening gaze swept over her towel clad body.

She colored in embarrassment and anger. He had no right to look at her that way. The short, balding man leaped at her, and Rinoa grabbed the heavy hairdryer with one hand, the other was holding her towel up.

She tried to hit him on the top of the head with it, but he was surprisingly agile for being so overweight. He gripped the hand holding her would be weapon in his.

"Now that's not very nice," he reprimanded her, squeezing her hand tighter and forcing her to drop it.

Rinoa cried in pain at the pressure. "Get off me!" she yelled at him in desperation as his hands clawed at her towel. She tried to knee him in the crotch, but only managed to hit his stomach. He gasped and stumbled momentarily, but knocked her to the ground with his arm.

She tried to scramble out of his reach, but he pounced on her, forcing his heavy weight on her. Pinning her hands with only one of his, he gave her that toothy grin again.

"Now let's see what's under this…" He reached to pull open her towel, and Rinoa tried to squirm from his gasp but couldn't.

Tears leaked unbidden from her eyes. Where was Squall?

Suddenly the manager was torn off her, and thrown violently against a dresser. "What the fuck do you think you're doing!" roared Squall as he stalked towards the shaking man.

Rinoa clutched the towel closer to her, scooting against the wall, watching Squall in his anger. She could see him, but the manager couldn't.

"Who's there!" the man cried, swinging desperately against his unknown assailant.

Squall picked him up by the throat and slammed him against the wall. "Come near her again and I _will _kill you," he growled. He let the manager dangle by his short legs for a few more seconds and tossed him near the door. The man needed no further encouragement to get out of the room.

Squall closed the door and locked the deadbolt. He turned to a shaking Rinoa, who looked away from him. Had he scared her?

Hastily wiping the tears from her eyes at nearly being brutally violated, she tried to calm herself. She should have been able to take care of the man herself…not rely on Squall yet again for protection. He probably thought she was a pathetic damsel in distress constantly needing his babysitting.

Squall couldn't stop himself from kneeling down to her, checking her over for any injuries. "You alright?" he asked, picking up her injured hand. Thankfully the man had only sprained her wrist, not broken it.

She hissed involuntarily as he touched it gingerly. He gently massaged it, making it feel a little better. "Yeah…thanks," she replied finally.

"Can you stand?" Squall tried not to notice the fact that she was wearing nothing more than a towel. She didn't need another brute groping her after all.

"Yes." With that, Rinoa grabbed the small table next to her for support as she hoisted herself up. She was still shaken from the encounter and wobbled. She would have fallen over if it had not been for Squall's quick reflexes. He grabbed her, preventing her from embarrassing herself further by falling over.

Her cheeks flamed from Squall's nearness. She hoped there was not enough light to show it. What was it about him that made her act like a silly schoolgirl? "Thanks," she said, and tried to move backwards out of his embrace.

Surprisingly though, he didn't release her. Rinoa looked up questioningly. Words died on her lips as he fixed her with an intense gaze. He leaned down towards her, and instinctively Rinoa closed her eyes. His cool lips met hers, and she gasped at the contact she had been wanting for so long. Squall's hands moved to pull her closer to him so there was no space between them. Any doubts or thoughts she had about his lack of interest in her were quickly washed away with the gentle pressure of his lips. His figure solidified and she let her fingers wander over his broad, strong chest.

"Please," Rinoa begged, not quite sure what it was she was begging for. But that didn't seem to matter to Squall, who seemed to know exactly what it was she wanted.

His gentle touches intensified almost immediately. Squall's hands dug into her back as he kissed her harder, making her weak with pleasure. Her hands slid under his shirt, her warmness making him shiver, also bringing him back to reality.

Squall broke away from her lips, just as caught up in the moment as she was. "No," he managed to rasp out. His eyes were still hazed with pleasure. "You don't know what you're asking."

Her disappointment nearly broke his resolve. Rinoa sighed. He had been so close to giving in. "You're right…I don't know what I want obviously."

Squall's eyes widened in surprise that she had agreed with him so easily, until he heard the second part of her statement. "Look," he tried to reason with her, "you're…I'm…" He frowned. He hated to keep reminding himself and her of the fact he was dead. Squall could offer her nothing. He didn't even know how long he would be permitted to roam around as a ghost. He had a feeling that once Rinoa had been taken care of, and her hunter stopped, his time was over.

Rinoa sensed his hesitance and his reasons. "Does it look like I care about that, Squall?" She sat on the bed, careful to avoid touching him as she maneuvered around him. The last thing she wanted was to throw herself at him. It was already difficult enough knowing that his cool caresses made her very soul sing for him alone, that she would do anything he asked as long as would continue kissing her. Her body was already protesting at the loss of contact.

"You should damn it," he growled at her. "Who knows what kind of effects it will have on you?"

"But that's not what's really stopping you is it?" Rinoa guessed. She grabbed a tank top and thin pants to sleep in, turning her back to him to change.

Squall fumbled for words, his cheeks pink from embarrassment at her boldness. There was no blood in his veins, but he couldn't stop his instinct to blush. He shut his eyes as she changed to give her some form of privacy. "Sorry." The apology slipped from his tongue in the quiet darkness.

"Could you…" Rinoa's voice trailed off, shyness giving her pause. "…hold me?"

She didn't receive an answer; instead she heard his long black trench coat drop to the floor, most likely for her benefit since he only needed to imagine himself in different clothes to change. Then she felt the slight pressure on the bed as he lay next to her, enfolding her in his arms. Rinoa sighed contently.

It was enough for now.

* * *

"Twin souls. Have you ever heard of the concept Cross?" The Lady asked in a simple tone. She spared him a glance before turning to watch the rain from the window. 

He shook his head.

"I didn't think so." Idly, she tossed her paperweight into the air, catching it deftly. She did this a couple more times before speaking, knowing that her charge was growing impatient. "I'll explain it to you."

Cross sighed, folding his arms over his chest. He hated being lectured, but it was part of his duty, distasteful as it was, to put up with the shit that this old hag spouted.

"So many people think that soul mates are people whose souls have just divided into two bodies and seek each other out during the course of their lifetime." The Lady snorted. "Idiots. This is not the case. Soul mates are complimentary souls rather, not half of one big soul. Understand so far?"

He rolled his eyes. "Give me a little credit."

"I do when it's deserved. Anyways, as I was saying – complimentary. One soul compliments and balances the others weaknesses and strengths." She tossed the black paperweight into the air again, catching it behind her back. "Legends had some parts of it correct though. Twins souls, soul mates if you will, will naturally seek each other out during the course of their lifetime. It may take years to find each other, but they will. We've perfected this soul searching process to find twin souls within weeks."

"Yeah yeah, I get it, so happily ever after," bit Cross, tired of the lecture already. Would she make her damn point already?

"Patience!" snapped The Lady. "Did you ever wonder what would happen if one soul were lost due to natural or unnatural causes?"

"Meaning?" asked Cross, examining his gunblade, his most prized possession. He didn't get to use it often, but when he did…

"If one of the twin souls had say, died or was stolen, what do you think would happen to its partner soul?"

Cross thought it was a stupid conversation but nevertheless humored her. She was the boss after all. "Hm, how about dying with it?"

"No." The Lady gave him a bitter smile. "It becomes lost, subconsciously reaching for its missing twin soul for the rest of their natural life at least. I don't know how far it extends – I'm sure you can guess why. Most become lost, misguided people anyways. A few become hardened, callous to the plight of others, having lost its mate, whether they know it or not."

Cross became chilled by her words. Hadn't he thought of himself as being cold-hearted and indifferent to the suffering around him?

The Lady watched the flickering emotions, as slight as they were, across her protégé's face. She had found out the same way he was about to. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm telling you this."

He hid his fear in a sneer. "Would be nice to get to the point."

She gave him a condescending smile. "I'm retiring after this last girl is caught. You're going to be taking over my position."

Cross narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What's the catch? What do I have to do?"

"You've already done it Cross. Do you remember the first soul you ever took?" She sat on her table, still with her back turned towards him, tossing that damn paperweight up and down. It irked him to no end.

"Yeah, what of it? Blonde, pretty enough." He had a sinking feeling in his gut as his thoughts turned towards the girl – no, young woman he had killed.

"Do you remember that pull you had towards her? And how hard it was to actually steal her soul?" Her eyes were full of sadness for a moment, thinking back to her first kill too.

Cross grunted in affirmation.

"Twin souls can be tracked by their complimentary soul, or soul mate. We enhanced all of the Brothers ability to find their soul mate. We chose you for a reason Cross. A few actually…your soul mate was one of them." Pushing herself gracefully off the polished desk, she fingered the paperweight in her hands again.

The blonde choked. "What!" A fierce pain tore through his stomach and he felt sick that he could have been the one to bring these monsters, of which he now was one to his everlasting shame, to his soul mate.

"For what it's worth…" The Lady turned towards him as she crossed the threshold of the room. "I'm sorry. I had a job to do, and you will have the same one soon. We needed her for the same order you're working on now. We couldn't find her…but we did find you." She showed him the orb, as if to offer comfort in the similarity of their sins. "My first one." Her voice dropped as it wavered. "I…I found out whose soul they had me steal only after I had killed him." The Lady's voice hardened again, as she reigned in her humanity. "My twin soul."

"Why haven't you released him by now or given him up?" questioned Seifer, wondering if there was still hope, or even such a thing as a soul mate.

"I wasn't going to give the bastards my soul mate. I gave them a suitable replacement – his brother. I told them I had failed to collect the soul in time before he died. You know as well as I do, that there is no escape for souls once they're in this orb. None." She made a hand motion to dismiss him.

"Tell me…what was she like?" Cross said, forcing the words from his throat. He felt so weak, hated himself for begging for information, putting himself at her mercy.

The Lady gave him an almost kind smile. "She was beautiful, witty, didn't put up with any nonsense. She would have balanced your anger, your arrogance, and most likely made a good man out of you."

A good man . . . words he thought that would never be applied to him. Seifer didn't ask for anything else, angry beyond belief at the deception, at his actions. Monster. He turned sharply, his well worn gray trenchcoat fluttered impressively behind him as he made a dramatic exit, with the door slamming behind him.

"I'm sorry…my son," she whispered.

* * *

"She must have been a witch or a sorceress or something!" exclaimed the pudgy motel manager. "Look! She broke my furniture. No human woman could have the strength to lift me up and throw me against the dressers!" He gestured wildly to the local authorities, sweat running down his forehead in the hot morning sun. He hated living in the desert, but it was the easiest way for him to make money currently. The living was easy, and once in a while he could have a woman that could say nothing against him. But the woman last night put up such a fight that he would be careful with the next one. 

"How did this start again, sir?" asked an officer.

"I just knocked, as nicely as you please, to ask if she needed anything else. I must have interrupted her spell or something for her to be that angry!"

The officer's partner spoke up. "Could you describe what she looked like please?"

"Gladly!" Enjoying being the center of attention, the balding man gave himself a mental pat on the back for a job well done. By the end of the day he was sure the town would think he was a hero for defending himself valiantly against a witch.

* * *

The phone rang incessantly before The Lady managed to pick it up. "Yes?" she asked, annoyed. 

"I think I have something for you…" said the voice on the other line.


	15. Sunrise

Chapter 15

The officer nodded dutifully at what the motel owner had to say, while his partner wrote scraps of information on his note pad, but whilst they appeared absorbed by their duty, they shared the same thought, that the man's story was farfetched. One seeing him as a timewaster, trying to make a good story before putting in an insurance claim, the other seeing something entirely different; that _she_ had been here.

The Lady would want to know of this, but it would be suspicious if he left in the middle of taking a statement to make a phone call. He was about to suggest to his partner that they wrap it up, when the motel owner said something interesting.

"I got her registration number," he said, his podgy face eager to please. He wouldn't let that witch of a girl get away with what she had done to him.

The first officer nodded to the other to write this down. The owner dug into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of grimy paper, folded and touched many times with greasy hands. He opened it proudly and read.

The officer in charge nodded, and made the standard promises that the events would be looked into and the girl apprehended. With the motel owner sufficiently pacified, the two officers walked back to their car. The junior officer took his seat, but was made to wait when his partner declared he had a personal call to make, mentioning something about a kid's birthday, and walked back to a payphone that they had passed on the way out.

The phone rang incessantly before The Lady managed to pick it up. "Yes?" she asked, annoyed.

"I think I have something for you…" said the voice on the other line.

The Lady, her interest captured gave the speaker her full attention.

"You may continue," she said as if granting a favour.

The officer grinned down the phone, he knew that he had some information worth knowing, and he was happy to be the one delivering it.

"I've found her, Heartilly, she's on the road. I'm putting in an order for all officers to be on the lookout for a stolen car. She's not going to get far," he said smugly, perhaps overestimating his ability to recapture the highly wanted target.

"And how do we know it is her?" the Lady asked calmly. She very rarely gave out praise, and she made those that were lucky enough to receive it work hard to deserve it.

"Her friendly ghost threw a man across the room, he's babbling about sorceresses and magic. She took off after that."

"Good," the Lady said grudgingly. "Keep me informed."

The officer returned to the car, his partner non-the wiser that his colleague was crooked. He spoke into the radio as they drove back to the police station.

"All units to be on the lookout for a blue zero two Sunrise, registration seventy five, Oscar, Yankee, Bravo. Driver of the car said to be female, extremely dangerous."

The radio crackled as he clicked it off, and he listened to the sounds of other reports being made to the control room.

Meanwhile, in a blue zero two Sunrise headed in the opposite direction, Rinoa was shaking. Her eyes were filled with stagnant tears that refused to fall, and instead clung to her eyelashes and blurred the world. She tried desperately to take control of her fear, but it wasn't easy. If it hadn't been for Squall…

"Rinoa, you need to pull over," Squall said in a low tone of voice that betrayed his concern. They were pushing the speed limit now, and Rinoa didn't seem to be concentrating any more.

She rubbed a tear from her eye and shook her head. She wouldn't stop, she'd keep going, she wouldn't stop and let another man try and hurt her.

"I need to get out of town," she said staring straight ahead.

"You're going to crash," Squall warned.

No longer in possession of a body, Squall didn't have a fear of dying. There was no heady rush of adrenaline or thrill of surviving tough battles and narrow escapes as when he was alive. But even though he feared nothing for himself, it didn't stop him worrying for Rinoa.

"Well, if we crash, at least it's only me who'll die," she retorted, her foot tipping the accelerator a little harder. "It'd save a lot of problems. Who knows, I might come back as a ghost too!"

She laughed, but Squall had heard enough.

"It doesn't work like that Rinoa," he growled at her. He clenched and unclenched his fist, hoping to stem the anger that threatened to spill forth. When she passed the hundred miles per hour mark he decided that she had risked her life enough and took control of the vehicle, his forehead creasing as he concentrated.

The car was slowing, even though Rinoa's foot was pressing the accelerator down as far as it would go. She knew Squall was doing something to the car, slowing it and pulling them back into safety.

"Quit it!" she shouted at him. "It's my life! Let me have at least one thing I can control!" Rinoa shoved at his form, but her hands passed right through. His brow was furrowed in concentration but he managed to throw her an impressive glare anyways.

The car behind beeped at them for slowing so abruptly, and pulled out into another lane to overtake them. Rinoa's vehicle steered itself as if on auto-pilot and she released her control on the steering wheel, folding her arms across her chest. She looked at the desert, hoping it would be able to prevent the lecture she knew would be coming from her seething passenger.

"That was stupid!" Squall shouted finally losing his temper.

Shock, panic, and tendrils of fear wrapped around her. Rinoa succumbed to the multitude of emotions, no longer able to stave them off with false exaggerated anger at Squall.

"I'm going to die!" she wailed desperately and burst into tears. "It's useless. They're going to kill me, and there is nothing you can do about it. It'd be better if I just crashed now and got it over with!"

"Stop it," Squall warned, shooting her a look that was a mix of concern and authority in between concentrating on keeping the car on the road. "We need to stay calm. Where does your father live?"

Rinoa wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and gripped the wheel in the pretence of driving. It took a while before Squall's question registered in her mind.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because you need to go somewhere safe, we can't rely on motels."

Reluctantly Rinoa gave Squall directions, but she was not looking forward to arriving at their destination. It had been a while since she had stayed under the same roof as her father; it was almost like admitting defeat as an adult to move back home.

"Your father is General Caraway?" Squall asked intrigued. "Do you think the Brotherhood knows that?"

Rinoa shrugged. She felt drained now, adrenaline had propelled her this far, but a lack of sleep, and a constant dull fear had taken its toll. Why did it matter who her father was, she was still on the hit list, and it seemed unlikely that going home would make her any safer, even if her father was the general.

"Squall," Rinoa said suddenly. "I don't understand why I can see you. Do you think that's why the Brotherhood want me?"

"I don't understand it either," Squall admitted.

"It's not as if I'm the only one either…" Rinoa mused to herself.

"The only one, what?"

"The only one who can see you..."

The car jerked suddenly, as if someone had just hit the brakes, then continued in a smooth motion. Rinoa didn't know why Squall hadn't figured that out, he'd been right there after all.

"That car mechanic, remember, he saw you too and he really freaked out. Come on, you must remember," Rinoa prompted, feeling as if there was something important that she was missing about it.

"Well, I did seem to appear from nowhere to him," Squall said, not ready to delve too deeply into something that was insignificant and a waste of time.

"But there was something more to it than that." She frowned, tapping a finger to her lips in thought. "It's almost like he knew you were a ghost and wanted to get away from you as fast as he could."

Squall shrugged. So it was a strange event, but at the moment he couldn't make himself interested. He had to get Rinoa somewhere safe, and that was his only priority. If they survived the Brotherhood, then he'd find the mechanic and apologise for scaring him, if that was what Rinoa meant.

"No," Rinoa said answering herself. "No, there's no way he'd know… unless… but what if he did?"

"So what if he did?" Squall asked slightly annoyed that the subject wasn't being dropped.

"Well, he might be able to help us. Face it Squall, we could use all the help we can get." She could see that Squall wasn't convinced.

"We know nothing about him, except that he's in contact with Seifer, or at least the Brotherhood. There's no way we can trust him."

"It's a long shot I know, but we've got nothing else."


End file.
